4-Day Ordeal at LAX Pieced Together

A problem over payment for an airline ticket was apparently the source of confusion that led a 70-year-old Panorama City woman to become disoriented and wander around Los Angeles International Airport for four days, Los Angeles police said Tuesday.

Irene Rodriguez was to use a prepaid ticket issued on a credit card to board a flight last Wednesday to Lincoln, Neb., to join her family, said Detective Mel Arnold, citing information police have pieced together. But at check-in, Rodriguez “was not issued a ticket because of a problem with the credit card,” Arnold said.

Rodriguez thought the problem was temporary and checked into a hotel near the airport. She returned the next day but could not get a ticket. Meanwhile, her luggage, which contained her medication for heart and diabetes problems, had been misplaced.

“She was becoming disoriented and sick because of the lack of medication,” Arnold said. She also could not afford a hotel room.

Rodriguez’s ordeal ended Sunday when Travelers Aid Society volunteers notified police. She probably will remain hospitalized until at least Thursday. “The family is very concerned about her,” said Susan Edelstein, director of the Travelers Aid office at the airport.