FLIGHT ATTENDANT JENNY LUPTON’S FINAL HOURS UNDER SCRUTINY AS FRIEND SEEKS ANSWERS

HONOLULU, Hawaii — The final hours of Southwest Airlines flight attendant Jenny Lupton are coming under renewed scrutiny as her family and friends wait for answers about her unexplained death during a work layover in Hawaii.

Lupton, 50, was found dead near a dumpster at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort on Aug. 20 after an apparent fall from the hotel’s 24th floor. Honolulu police are investigating the death as an unattended death, with their specialized Homicide Detail reviewing the circumstances.

A FRIEND TRAVELED TO HAWAII FOR ANSWERS

Lupton’s close friend Mel Haggard traveled to Hawaii after learning of her death.

Haggard told The Sun that she wanted to retrace Lupton’s final movements and understand what happened during the hours before she was found.

However, police restrictions prevented her from accessing some of the areas she wanted to examine herself.

The investigation remains active, with authorities reviewing surveillance footage from more than 70 cameras around the hotel and conducting interviews with potential witnesses.

HER FINAL NIGHT APPEARED ORDINARY

According to Lupton’s family and friends, there was little indication that she was in distress before her death.

She had traveled to Hawaii for work and was reportedly enjoying her layover. Her niece, Hannah Lupton, previously told PEOPLE that Jenny had spent time with another flight attendant, gone dancing and remained in contact with relatives.

She had also recently gotten a tattoo honoring her late father.

Those details have left her loved ones struggling to reconcile the upbeat picture they saw shortly before her death with the tragedy that followed.

POLICE HAVE NOT REACHED A CONCLUSION

Authorities have not officially determined how Lupton died.

The Honolulu Police Department has said detectives are conducting interviews, reviewing surveillance footage and collecting evidence. The medical examiner has also not yet issued a final determination regarding the cause and manner of death.

Although authorities believe Lupton may have fallen from the hotel’s 24th floor, that does not establish whether the fall was accidental, intentional or caused by another person.

Her family has publicly rejected the idea that she died by suicide and has raised concerns about the circumstances surrounding her death.

A 29-YEAR CAREER AND A TEENAGE SON

Lupton had worked as a flight attendant for nearly 29 years, spending most of her career with Southwest Airlines.

Away from work, she was a devoted mother to her 15-year-old son.

Her niece has described her as a loving and energetic person who maintained close relationships with family and friends.

She also inspired Hannah to pursue a career as a flight attendant, and the two eventually had opportunities to fly together.

THE QUESTIONS THAT REMAIN

Investigators now face the difficult task of reconstructing Lupton’s final movements.

What happened inside the hotel?

Was the fall accidental?

Did someone else play a role?

And what can the hotel’s extensive surveillance footage reveal about the moments before her death?

For now, authorities have not provided definitive answers.

HER FAMILY IS STILL WAITING

Jenny Lupton traveled to Hawaii for work and appeared to be enjoying her time there. Hours later, she was dead.

Her family and friends are now waiting for investigators and medical examiners to establish what happened.

Until that evidence is fully analyzed, the circumstances surrounding the 50-year-old flight attendant’s death remain unresolved — leaving the people who loved her with more questions than answers.