A 28-year-old patient at Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan, Illinois, died on January 23, 2025, hours after being discovered unresponsive on the hospital’s roof, according to the Lake County Coroner’s Office.
Chelsea Adolphus was admitted to Vista Medical Center East on January 21. She went missing from her hospital room at an undetermined time, and her body was discovered on the morning of January 23 by another patient’s husband, according to hospital reports. She was wearing only a hospital gown when found.
After discovery, Adolphus was immediately transported to the emergency department, where medical staff treated her. She received treatment for approximately 14 hours before being pronounced dead at 11:03 p.m. on January 23. According to documents filed with the Lake County Coroner’s Office, temperature readings recorded during treatment showed significant signs of exposure to cold.
Her brother, Paul Adolphus, described receiving conflicting accounts from hospital staff about his sister’s whereabouts and discovery. “My sister didn’t deserve this. She was young and changing her life around to be an amazing person to travel the world through real estate,” he said. “Where is the surveillance team? Where’s the camera? Where’s the, hey, where’s the doctors? What’s going on here? Where’s all this security that was there for no reason?”
During meetings with hospital officials, the family learned that several security doors leading to the roof were open. “Doors should be locked; doors should be very secured,” Paul Adolphus emphasized in his statement to investigators. Hospital protocols require all roof access points to remain secure, with access limited to maintenance personnel and emergency responders.
The incident occurred during a period of significant staffing changes at the facility. On January 16, 2025, Vista Medical Center East furloughed 69 employees amid financial challenges. The furloughed positions included non-medical personnel, though the hospital has not specified which departments were affected.
The staffing situation at Vista Medical Center East has drawn increased scrutiny. The Lake County Coroner had previously expressed concerns about the hospital’s financial stability and its impact on patient care, noting that doctors were leaving the facility due to non-payment issues and problems with medical equipment.
The hospital has faced multiple operational challenges in recent months. In 2024, the Illinois Department of Public Health temporarily revoked Vista Medical Center East’s Level 2 trauma center designation after identifying several deficiencies, including the lack of a blood bank and the absence of a full-time trauma coordinator.
The staff furloughs affected both clinical and non-clinical departments. Hospital administrators acknowledged, “We don’t have enough revenue coming in to cover our costs,” though they maintained that patient care would not be compromised. The facility, recently acquired by American Healthcare Systems, has been working to establish itself as a safety-net hospital serving uninsured and underinsured patients in the Waukegan area.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office performed an autopsy on January 24, 2025. The results are pending, and authorities have not released information about potential causes of death. The Waukegan Police Department has launched an investigation into what they termed “unusual circumstances” surrounding the death.
The Adolphus family is exploring the possibility of legal action, expressing deep frustration and a sense of betrayal over the circumstances leading to Chelsea’s death. Paul Adolphus emphasized that his sister sought help at Vista Medical Center East, expecting it to be a safe environment where she could recover from her alcohol-related challenges. Instead, he pointed to the hospital’s failure as a factor in her tragic death.
Describing Chelsea as a caring and compassionate individual who was always willing to help others, the family has been left devastated by her unexpected loss. They are seeking answers and accountability from the hospital, emphasizing the profound impact her death has had on their lives. They are determined to ensure that such an incident does not happen to others in the future.