Body is found in jetliner’s restroom

A Delta Air Lines flight crew found a woman’s body in the restroom of a plane that landed Wednesday morning in Atlanta after leaving Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday night, authorities said.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation identified the woman as Michaele Carnahan, 61, of Ventura. Spokesman John Bankhead said her death appeared to have been from natural causes, but the medical examiner will perform an autopsy Thursday morning.

There were no signs of foul play, according to Atlanta Police Lt. Scott Bennett. Carnahan had not appeared to be ill, but she was carrying medication with her on the flight, he said.

Delta Flight 950 had left LAX at 10:29 p.m. Tuesday, and shortly before 6 a.m., a passenger alerted the flight crew to check on Carnahan just as the plane was making its descent into Atlanta, Bennett said. The passenger said Carnahan had been in the restroom for about half an hour, Bennett said.

Crew members found Carnahan unresponsive, Bennett said. They alerted Delta staff, paramedics and police on the ground, said Anthony Black, an Atlanta-based Delta spokesman.

A doctor on the plane checked Carnahan’s vital signs and told the crew that she was dead, Bennett said.

Bankhead said investigators reported that Carnahan had been on her way to a wedding in Florida. Delta Flight 950 was a direct flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta with 259 passengers on board, said airline spokeswoman Maria Schnabel.

-- Molly Hennessy-Fiske