Cancer Patient Dies After Attack Outside Treatment Center

ZION, IL — A homicide investigation is under way after the death of a 46-year-old cancer patient who was attacked and beaten outside a Cancer Treatment Center of America’s hotel facility in Zion this week, according to media and police reports.

Shannon Vincel, 46, of Springfield, Missouri, died at 11:02 p.m. on Tuesday at Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, according to the Zion police. Vincel sustained a severe head injury after she was hit in the head with an unknown object by a man while she was seated outside at about 9:48 p.m.

A witness told police the attack happened in the 1900 block of 27th Street in Zion. The attacker approached the victim from the west of the area on a sidewalk.

Vincel was flying from Missouri to the Chicago area every two weeks to receive radiation treatment for breast cancer, according to OzarksFirst.com. She was sitting on a bench outside the Zion facility when she was attacked.

Photo embed: Shannon Vincel Facebook page

The Lake County Major Crime Task Force has joined Zion police to investigate. A witness described the assailant as a black male who was wearing dark clothing at the time of the attack.

Other patients who spend time at the center's residential facility told the Chicago Tribune the spot where Vincel was attacked is a popular one for those undergoing treatment to sit and relax. A small memorial of flowers has been placed on the spot.

Her sister, Fabienne Vincel, told KOLR10 News that Vincel was "happy-go-lucky and the sweetest thing."

Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to call the Zion Police Department at (847) 872-8000 or Lake County Crime Stoppers at (847) 662-2222.