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Woman Found Dead After Hours In Bethel VFW Sauna

Katie Basile
/
KYUK

A woman was found dead after hours in the VFW sauna.

Maria Bell, age 31, of Chevak was unresponsive when she was discovered in the sauna of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) building in Bethel. She was taken to the Emergency Room and pronounced dead.

VFW Commander Henry Hunter says Bell was a member of the Ladies' Auxiliary. Police report that alcohol appears to be a factor in the case. Hunter says that members are allowed to bring alcohol into the building during special events when the VFW has received an alcohol permit from the City and the Alaska Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, but no permitted event was occurring that night.

Medics and police found Bell around 1:30 a.m. Thursday morning and performed CPR before taking her to the hospital. Assistant VFW Commander Fritz Charles says the sauna closes at 11 p.m. on weeknights.

Hunter says there were staff on duty when Bell was found.

Her body has been sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy and her next of kin have been notified.

Clarification: The VFW's alcohol policy has been clarified from the story's original version.

Anna Rose MacArthur served as KYUK's News Director from 2015-2022.