American Airlines flight attendant found dead in Philadelphia hotel room

Sept. 27 (UPI) -- Police are investigating the "suspicious" death of an American Airlines flight attendant whose body was found in a hotel room near Philadelphia International Airport.

Cleaning staff at the Marriott hotel discovered the deceased flight attendant, who was found with a sock in her mouth, at about 10:45 p.m. on Monday, according to investigators. The 66-year-old woman had been scheduled to check out of her room two days earlier.

An American Airlines crew member who worked with the flight attendant said the entire crew is "traumatized" after they were unable to check on her welfare before boarding their flight Saturday. While flight attendants typically leave behind colleagues who are late for their hotel shuttles, investigators said they are looking into why it took two days before the airline and hotel checked on the missing woman.

The Los Angeles-based flight attendant had been with the same crew for several days, including for the short overnight layover in Philadelphia. Police said there were no signs of a struggle or forced entry into the hotel room, and that no weapons were found.

Investigators are calling the death "suspicious," and believe the woman suffered a "sudden death," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told NBC10.

Several sealed bottles of prescription drugs were found in the room and Scott said the victim had been "on several medications."

The Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office is performing an autopsy to determine the cause of her death, but has not released the results yet.