A woman was found dead in a San Francisco General Hospital stairwell is believed to be Lynne Spalding, who had checked herself into the hospital for a urinary tract infection two weeks ago.
Spalding, 57, hasn’t been seen since Sept. 21, reports CNN. She was being checked on every 15 minutes, but when nurses checked in on her at 10:30 a.m. that day, she was not in her room. It was assumed that by now, the hospital had been searched, so the family began using social media and flyers to try and find her.
But on Tuesday, a body was found at an exterior stairwell and a law enforcement source told CNN that they believe it is Spalding’s body.
Hospital spokeswoman Rachael Kagan told KTVU that the body was found at 10 a.m. at the stairwell, which is not often used. It is still not known how long the woman had been there.
“It's very concerning...We're distressed and don't know what happened. It's our top priority to find out,” Kagan told the media.
Spalding’s family and friends set up a “Find Lynne” Facebook page, where they have been giving constant updates on the situation. Today, family spokesperson David Perry wrote that they were still waiting for official confirmation on the woman’s identity. However, Perry noted that even if it is not Spalding, the hospital has to re-evaluate security measures.
The LA Times reports that the hospital will have a news conference today to give an update on the body’s identity.
“What is happening here today is very distressing,” Perry told KTVU, “And although we hope that our friend and our colleague Lynne Spalding will come back to us alive and healthy, we're very concerned about this, and we're awaiting for either identification or confirmation that this isn't Lynne.”
Spalding is divorced, with a daughter, 23, and a son, 19.