Fluid in the Lungs Blamed for Deaths of Chicago Woman, Sister at Island Vacation Resort

Autopsies revealed that excess fluid in the lungs caused the deaths of a Chicago woman and her sister who were vacationing last week at a resort off the eastern coast of Africa, according to USA Today.

Robin Korkki, 42, of Wicker Park, and Anne Korkki, 37, of Denver, died from acute pulmonary edema — the medical term for fluid in the lungs — according to the women's autopsy reports, the article stated. The reports also listed cerebral edema — fluid on the brain — as a contributing cause of death, the article added.

The sisters were found uresponsive Sept. 22 in their villa at the Maia Luxury Resort in the Seychelles, an archipelago of tropical islands in the Indian Ocean off the coast of East Africa. They had been vacationing at the resort and were two days away from returning to the United States, USA Today reports.

Police collected evidence from the sisters' villa as authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surroundng their deaths, the report stated. The women had been drinking throughout the day of Sept. 22, and their bodies showed no signs of trauma when they were found, the report added.

RELATED: Chicago Woman and Her Sister Found Dead at Island Resort Off African Coast

The sisters were originally from Minnesota, and some family members have traveled to the Seychelles in order to make arrangements to return the bodies to the United States, the report stated. After learning of the deaths, Chris Korkki, the women's brother, said earlier this week that the family has received very little information from authorities regarding the circumstances, the report added.

Chris Korkki told The Associated Press that his sisters were the adventurous types and enjoyed their globetrotting.

"They were frequent travelers both domestically and internationally," he told the AP on Thursday. "They were kind and generous and compassionate and were wonderful people that had a positive impact on a huge number of people."

James Everhart, a personal trainer at a Lincoln Park gym, agreed. He was friends with Robin Korkki — a commodities trader since the mid-2000s — and her sister, and he told the Chicago Tribune that the women were inseparable and at their happiest while traveling together.

"[Robin Korkki] was just so excited about all the trips she would take because she's somebody who just wanted to see the world," said Everhart, who admitted to breaking down when heard about their deaths while he was at an out-of-town wedding. "That was her thing. She just really cared about life itself. She put her life and soul into her work and family … and everything that she did and wanted to do."

More via USA TODAY

photo via Pixabay

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