Nearly two months after a Southwest flight attendant was found dead at a Waikiki hotel, officials have finally ruled on how she died, and her family is not accepting the answer.
The Honolulu medical examiner has ruled the death of Southwest Airlines flight attendant Jenny Lupton, found dead in Waikiki on Aug. 20, 2026, a suicide.
Her family rejects that finding. The Honolulu Department of the Medical Examiner determined that Lupton, 50, died of multiple injuries after falling from the 24th floor of the Hilton Hawaiian Village, where she was staying after a work flight. “We have no reason to think that Jenny would have intentionally harmed herself,” her nephew, Sam Lupton said.
The ruling was reported on Oct. 14. Honolulu police said no further information would be released because the investigation remains active and ongoing.
Dancing and a Hibiscus Tattoo
In the hours before she died, Lupton went dancing, got a hibiscus tattoo and messaged relatives about her night. Witnesses described her as happy that night.
“She had been texting prior in the day, talking about having fun and going dancing with friends,” her niece, Hannah Lupton said, adding that her aunt “was really excited.”
Hannah Lupton said the family wanted to make clear that Jenny Lupton was not suicidal, and pointed to the sequence of that night and to what she told relatives only hours earlier. The medical examiner listed her hometown as Cleveland, Okla. Her family said she was from Moore, Okla.
Four Days Before Police Called
The medical examiner tried to reach the family at 12:20 p.m. Hawaii time on Thursday, Aug. 20. Aug. 21 was Statehood Day, a state holiday in Hawaii, and relatives said they struggled to reach anyone.
Police did not contact them until Monday, Aug. 24, four days after Lupton was found, the family said. Honolulu Police Department spokesperson Noreen Reimel said there was no unnecessary delay, because the department had to wait for a positive identification and for the medical examiner’s office to find and notify the next of kin before investigators could call the family.
Frustrated by how little they had been told, the family asked the Oklahoma attorney general’s office for help. Spokesperson Shauna Peters said the office was in touch with the family and with the office of Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez to help make sure the investigation was done properly, for relatives she said deserved answers.
Homicide Detail Is Still Working
Police opened an unattended death investigation the day Lupton was found, and the department’s Homicide Detail took the case. In a news release on Aug. 24, police said the detail was actively investigating and working closely with her family. Police also said then that no conclusions had been reached about the manner of death.
Nearly eight weeks later, the medical examiner reached one.
Her death spread quickly on social media and set off national speculation about how she died. Her relatives in Oklahoma pushed publicly for a full investigation, saying the circumstances looked suspicious to them.
Southwest Airlines said it was deeply saddened by the death of a colleague during a layover in Hawaii, and that it had offered condolences and support to her family and co-workers while working with local authorities on the investigation.
Police say the case remains active and ongoing despite the ruling. Detectives have interviewed people, reviewed surveillance video and examined evidence.
Lupton worked as a flight attendant for 29 years, 26 of them with Southwest. Her family has described her as someone who loved traveling, her family and her work.
Anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, any time of day or night.
