Maryland Restaurant Stays Open for Hours After Woman Dies Inside Bathroom
A Maryland restaurant has issued an apology for its decision to keep its doors open hours after a woman suffered a heart attack and died inside of its bathroom.
A woman went into cardiac arrest inside Jasper's in Largo, Maryland, last Wednesday. Emergency responders were called to the scene after another customer found her in the bathroom before 6 p.m. local time. She was declared dead at 6:40 p.m., authorities told The Washington Post.
Officers with Prince George's County Police Department arrived shortly after and alerted the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner at 7:12 p.m., spokesperson Brian Fischer added to the outlet. The medical examiner wouldn't take the case, a spokesperson for the medical examiner told the outlet, because she appeared to die of natural causes.
RELATED: James Corden Banned from Popular NYC Restaurant as Owner Calls Him 'Most Abusive Customer'
"On October 12, 2022 at approximately 6:40pm officers responded to the 9600 block of Lottsford Road for a death investigation," the Prince George's County Police Department tells PEOPLE. "The deceased was released to a family member on scene and removed by a private company."
In an effort to not cause chaos, the restaurant stayed open as staff waited for authorities to arrive, the owner, Fred Rosenthal, told The Washington Post.
"We've never had anything like this happen before," Rosenthal, 80, said. "Hindsight is 20/20."
RELATED: Justin Sutherland Celebrates 38th Birthday 3 Months After Boating Accident: 'This Year Is Different'
The restaurant stayed open until dinner wrapped at the end of the evening. The bathroom was blocked, and everyone was instructed to use the men's bathroom for approximately two hours, he added.
Rosenthal, who was at home in Bethesda during the incident, said he wasn't told about the woman's death until 11 p.m. — nearly two hours after her family had her body moved by a local funeral home.
Jasper's did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
The woman was later identified as Verna Winn.
"That was my soul mate, my life partner, my best friend, my lover," Craig Winn, her husband of more than 40 years, told Fox 5 in D.C.
He was with Verna, along with friends and family, having lunch at Jasper's when she died.
RELATED VIDEO: Woman Dies Mid-Flight After Suffering Heart Attack While Traveling from Houston to London
"Once we finished, we all got our check and everyone decided to go to the restroom," he said, noting that everyone came back from the bathroom except Verna. He asked a female cousin to go see if she was okay. The cousin came back and told him what happened.
"I just immediately jumped up and ran into the restroom and saw my wife lying on the floor and that was the last image of my wife. Lying on the stall floor in the lady's restroom," Craig said, adding that a fellow patron gave Verna CPR until medics arrived.
He was in the restaurant for roughly three more hours as customers continued coming in and getting service.
He added that while some came to check on him, he had hoped management would have been more proactive.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
"The only thing that would've made me feel better is if somebody, a management person who was working that night, would've come over and asked what they could do to make the situation better," he said.
"Don't indict the restaurant. I don't think the restaurant could improvise on how to deal with a situation like that," Craig said. "I just wanted to be able to give my wife the best chance she could've had to be revived, so we could be home together right now."
Jasper's has since issued an apology, providing a statement last Thursday, per Fox 5.
"Last night, one of our customers tragically passed away within our establishment. On behalf of our ownership, management, and staff we send the sincerest and most heartfelt support and condolences to the deceased's family," the statement read. "We will be reaching out to the family to see if there is any way we can support them in this time of grief.
"We immediately contacted county authorities and followed their protocol and procedure. Under the authorities' guidance, we closed the area to patrons until all emergency services could arrive and followed the direction of the authorities."
