The estranged sister-in-law of the American Airlines flight attendant found gagged in a Philadelphia airport hotel is in disbelief over the mysterious death earlier this week, saying she grew distant after her husband’s death.
Cleaning staff at the Philadelphia Airport Marriott room found Diana Ramos, 66, inside her room “unresponsive and with a cloth stuffed in her mouth” late Monday evening, Philadelphia Police confirmed to The Post.
A staff member called 911 and medics arrived at around 10:40 p.m. before pronouncing her dead minutes later.
“I’m shocked that something like this could’ve happened to her,” Helen Alaniz told PEOPLE. “It’s just unbelievable because she seemed sweet.”
Ramos had worked for the airline for 25 years and was in Philadelphia on a layover following a flight from Los Angeles.
Alaniz, the sister of Ramos’ husband Raymond, noted the flight attendant and her husband weren’t always around because of her job, but she grew even more distant following his death in 2021.
“They pretty much kept to themselves,” she says. “Because of her schedule and flying, she wasn’t always available.”
“Ever since my brother passed, after that we never got any word from her,” Alaniz added. “I would call her phone number and leave her [a] message, because I wanted to hear about what she was going to do, was she gonna stay locally or move somewhere else?”
Ramos was expected to check out of her room on Friday — two days before she was found, which has raised several questions for the hotel and airline.
“Everybody is still trying to figure out what happened and why her crew just left her,” an unidentified American Airlines flight attendant told People, revealing that Ramos’ crew was based in Los Angeles.
Alaniz said Ramos’ death came during the month her family honors other late relatives.
“I just don’t have any idea how that could’ve happened to her,” she said before mentioning to the magazine that her brother, Raymond, and their parents all died in September.
Ramos’ body was transported to the medical examiner’s office for an autopsy.
Results of the autopsy are still pending but Ramos “suffered a sudden death,” Chief Inspector Scott Small told NBC10.
Police added there were no signs of forced entry or a struggle and no weapons were found.
Several sealed prescription bottles were found in the room and police did and investigators did reveal she was on several medications.
The Philadelphia Police Department’s Homicide Detectives Division is running the investigation into the “suspicious” death.
