POLICE and health care officials are investigating how a North-East woman's body lay undiscovered in one of America's top hospitals for 17 days.
Lynne Spalding, 57, a mother of two from Peterlee, County Durham, was found dead under a stairwell at San Francisco General Hospital in California.
She had been missing 17 days after disappearing from her room in the hospital where she was being treated for an infection.
The body of Ms Spalding, who had lived in the US for 23 years , lay undetected even though the building had been searched.
Her friends and family also set up a Facebook Page called Find Lynne in the hope of finding her. The hospital has described the incident as “horrible”
According to US newspaper reports, there were no visible CCTV cameras near the stairwell but there were signs on the doors saying an alarm would sound if they were opened.
Staff told the San Francisco Examiner that the alarm could only be turned off by a Sherrif's deputy using a key.
Friend and family demanded answers last night.
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