http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-wisconsin-body-found-dumbwaiter-20141203-story.html

Wisconsin college student found dead in dumbwaiter

Authorities in Wisconsin are investigating the death of a 21-year-old college student and former gymnast who was found dead in a restaurant’s food-service elevator.
The body of Brooke Baures, a student at Winona State University, was found about 8 p.m. Monday at the WingDam Bar and Saloon in Fountain City, Wis., during her work shift there, police said.
According to Police Chief Jason Mork, Baures’ shift began at about 4 p.m. During the shift, he said, employees were using the 3-foot-by-3-foot dumbwaiter to serve food to a large party on the restaurant’s second floor. Mork said that as far as he knows, the mechanism was functioning properly that night.
Employees called 911 when they discovered her body trapped in the dumbwaiter, Mork said, and it took emergency crews at least 20 minutes to extricate her body.
“I don’t know how she got there. It was not an easy task to remove her,” said Mork, who is the only police officer in Fountain City, a town of 842 people on the western edge of Wisconsin along the Mississippi River.
Mork said an autopsy would be performed to determine a cause of death and to figure out which injuries were sustained after Baures died. “Obviously, she had tremendous injuries” after being removed from the space, Mork said.
He said her death was likely an accident, but that the investigation is continuing.
“There have been no indications of a criminal act, there’s no indications of somebody playing around or horsing around,” he told The Times on Wednesday.
Students and faculty at Winona State were mourning the death of Baures, a senior who was majoring in social work and had competed on the gymnastics team from 2011 to 2014. “She was a leader on the team and a talented gymnast,” athletic director Eric Schoh said in a statement (http://www.winonastatewarriors.com/news/2014/12/2/GEN_1202142233.aspx?path=general) Tuesday. “This is a tremendous loss for our community.”
Jason Puterbaugh, one of the restaurant's owners, said Baures had worked as a part-time server and bartender for about two years. “She was a great, bubbly girl who lit up the room,” he told The Times in a phone interview Wednesday. “She had a wonderful future ahead of her. ... It’s a very hard situation and we feel very sorry for her family and friends.”
Fatal accidents in the workplace involving dumbwaiters are rare. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only three deaths involving dumbwaiters have occurred between 2003 and 2013.

This is a very sad and tragic story. I can't imagine why she would go into a cramped space like that. Not sure if I believe it was an accident. It's just very strange.
:confused:

:( This time of year IS THE WORST TIME for something like this to happen...

I do hope they find who did this :(

:( This time of year IS THE WORST TIME for something like this to happen...

I do hope they find who did this :(

Yeah, this is really a sad and puzzling story. I just can't get my head around why someone would voluntarily get into a very tiny space like that. I really hope that in the days to follow, we (and most importantly, her family) get some real answers to this.

Sounds like the girl had allot going for her and doesn't seem like she'd take any chances by doing something stupid like crawling into a dumbwaiter. I think she was either murdered or some college prank went too far. Possibly some guys sitting around scared to death that they're going to be arrested soon.

www.washingtonpost.com

Details emerge in death of Winona State gymnast Brooke Baures, whose body was found in dumbwaiter

Winona State gymnast Brook Baures, whose body was found in a restaurant dumbwaiter (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2014/12/03/winona-state-gymnast-brooke-baures-dies-following-accident-in-food-service-elevator/) Monday night, had become tangled in the machine.
Foul play is not suspected in the death of Baures, 21, at the WingDam Saloon and Grill, the western Wisconsin restaurant where she worked. Her body was discovered by co-workers in the 3-x-3 elevator used to lift food and drinks to the second floor of the restaurant and, according to Fountain City, Wisc., police officer Jason Mork, she was “trapped inside the entirety of the device.” He declined to say more, adding that “to explain more of her specific location, orientation or obvious injuries would require an extremely graphic explanation.”
In a 911 call shortly before 8 p.m., a WingDam employee said she was afraid a co-worker had been caught in the machinery, according to the Winona Daily News (http://www.winonadailynews.com/news/local/calls-investigator-say-student-was-trapped-in-elevator-mechanism-vigil/article_3eea11a5-0930-5e1d-821c-9e688f857ced.html). “I think one of my co-workers got [caught] in, like, our dumbwaiter,” she said, “but I’m not willing to look close enough.”
A fellow employee looked and then the first employee told the dispatcher: “It’s her. We need someone here, like, ASAP.”
A vigil was held in her honor on the Winona State campus where Baures, a senior from Chetek, Wisc., who was majoring in social work, was remembered as a talented athlete and a caring friend. “Everyone should remember her as an amazing person and that she did nothing but care for everyone else but herself,” a teammate, Veronica Peterson, told News8000.com in LaCrosse. (http://www.news8000.com/news/family-and-friends-remember-wsu-student-with-candlelight-vigil/30050440)
“Brooke had a magnetic personality and a smile that would light up the gym,” WSU gymnastics coach Beckie Rolbiecki said. “She was a sparkplug of a competitor and an ambitious, dedicated teammate.”

www.washingtonpost.com

Details emerge in death of Winona State gymnast Brooke Baures, whose body was found in dumbwaiter

Winona State gymnast Brook Baures, whose body was found in a restaurant dumbwaiter (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2014/12/03/winona-state-gymnast-brooke-baures-dies-following-accident-in-food-service-elevator/) Monday night, had become tangled in the machine.
Foul play is not suspected in the death of Baures, 21, at the WingDam Saloon and Grill, the western Wisconsin restaurant where she worked. Her body was discovered by co-workers in the 3-x-3 elevator used to lift food and drinks to the second floor of the restaurant and, according to Fountain City, Wisc., police officer Jason Mork, she was “trapped inside the entirety of the device.” He declined to say more, adding that “to explain more of her specific location, orientation or obvious injuries would require an extremely graphic explanation.”
In a 911 call shortly before 8 p.m., a WingDam employee said she was afraid a co-worker had been caught in the machinery, according to the Winona Daily News (http://www.winonadailynews.com/news/local/calls-investigator-say-student-was-trapped-in-elevator-mechanism-vigil/article_3eea11a5-0930-5e1d-821c-9e688f857ced.html). “I think one of my co-workers got [caught] in, like, our dumbwaiter,” she said, “but I’m not willing to look close enough.”
A fellow employee looked and then the first employee told the dispatcher: “It’s her. We need someone here, like, ASAP.”
A vigil was held in her honor on the Winona State campus where Baures, a senior from Chetek, Wisc., who was majoring in social work, was remembered as a talented athlete and a caring friend. “Everyone should remember her as an amazing person and that she did nothing but care for everyone else but herself,” a teammate, Veronica Peterson, told News8000.com in LaCrosse. (http://www.news8000.com/news/family-and-friends-remember-wsu-student-with-candlelight-vigil/30050440)
“Brooke had a magnetic personality and a smile that would light up the gym,” WSU gymnastics coach Beckie Rolbiecki said. “She was a sparkplug of a competitor and an ambitious, dedicated teammate.”

Still very strange. Curious how or why she was 'in' the machine to begin with, or maybe (not to be graphic) but a part of her body or clothing became caught and pulled the rest of her in somehow.

It's just such a sad and awful way to die, and she was so darned young. Really a tough story to read.

This is a tough story to read. It's driving me crazy actually. Talk about a mystery. A tv legal eagle said that often the police will say that foul play isn't suspected (when it really is) in an effort to put the guilty party(s) at ease, causing them to make a foolish move.

What happened?!? :confused:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/details-revealed-brooke-baures-dumbwaiter-death-article-1.20348019

Brooke Baures, who died in Wisconsin dumbwaiter accident, may have reached inside after pushing elevator button

The college gymnast 'was found trapped inside the entirety of the device,' Fountain City Police Chief Jason Mork told the Winona Daily News. 'To explain more of her specific location, orientation or obvious injuries would require an extremely graphic explanation.'

BY David Boroff (http://www.nydailynews.com/authors?author=David+Boroff)

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

New details have emerged in the tragic death of a 21-year-old Wisconsin college gymnast, whose body was found inside of a restaurant's dumbwaiter on Monday night.

Officials believe that Brooke Baures may have pushed the elevator button to send the dumbwaiter down when she reached for something inside at the WingDam Saloon & Grill.
Baures "was found trapped inside the entirety of the device,” Fountain City Police Chief Jason Mork told the Winona Daily News (http://www.winonadailynews.com/news/local/multiple-agencies-including-osha-investigating-death-at-fountain-city-restaurant/article_39140110-1df8-59ed-bc46-599acdc17909.html). “To explain more of her specific location, orientation or obvious injuries would require an extremely graphic explanation.”
The Winona State University senior's body was discovered by a fellow employee, who called 911 in tears. The shaken co-worker hung up the phone, but answered when the 911 operator called her right back.
“I think one of my co-workers got (caught) in, like, our dumbwaiter,” the employee said in a recording obtained by the Winona Daily News (http://www.winonadailynews.com/news/local/calls-say-baures-died-after-being-trapped-in-elevator-mechanism/article_3eea11a5-0930-5e1d-821c-9e688f857ced.html), “but I’m not willing to look close enough.”
The caller then asked another employee to look, and told the dispatcher, “It’s her. We need someone here like ASAP.”
Chief Mork told the newspaper that it does not appear that anyone witnessed the accident. Federal and state agencies are now investigating the tragic accident, the newspaper reported.
Brooke Baures competed for the Winona State University gymnastics team from 2011 until her death.

Baures' nickname as "Tink," according to her obituary (http://www.winonadailynews.com/lifestyles/announcements/obituaries/brooke-tink-baures/article_e6679993-f3f0-5395-93fa-2b30ae1c7da6.html) published Friday by the Winona Daily News. She was a member of the Winona State University gymnasics team since 2011.

The funeral is set for Saturday.

Wow, that is terrible. :( To die in such a small space. I'm claustaphobic and can only imagine the horrific things that went through her mind during her last moments alive. She could have been pushed, thrown in, etc. *shudders*.

I would hate to think it was some sick prank. Some people think things like that are funny when they aren't.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2862949/Wisconsin-college-gymnast-21-dead-restaurant-dumbwaiter-reached-inside-device-pushing-elevator-button.html

The police are now saying that Brooke Baure's death was an unfortunate freak accident. They're speculating that after she hit the button to send it down, she reached in and was dragged into basically hell on earth. Such a horrific way to die, being crushed to death, having the life and breath squeezed out of her. I just pray that it was quick.

Her loved ones have a lot to deal with. God bless them.

Its very,very sad :(

So very sad. :(

I hope that OSHA issues some kind of report; obviously this type of thing should never happen and hopefully steps will be taken to ensure that it never happens again.

Just a horrific story. It's honestly hard to forget about it.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2862949/Wisconsin-college-gymnast-21-dead-restaurant-dumbwaiter-reached-inside-device-pushing-elevator-button.html

The police are now saying that Brooke Baure's death was an unfortunate freak accident. They're speculating that after she hit the button to send it down, she reached in and was dragged into basically hell on earth. Such a horrific way to die, being crushed to death, having the life and breath squeezed out of her. I just pray that it was quick.

Her loved ones have a lot to deal with. God bless them.

That's awful. The thought of being crushed to death. :(

Autopsy: Waitress caught head in dumbwaiter

Winona State University gymnast Brooke Baures prepares to commence a series of flips during her floor routine in a competition against Hamline University at the Hamline field house, Saint Paul, Minnesota, Feb. 26, 2012. Winona State won the meet.

FOUNTAIN CITY, Wis. (AP) - An autopsy finds that a waitress died of severe head injuries after getting her head caught in a dumbwaiter at a Wisconsin restaurant last week, police said Tuesday. Fountain City Police Chief Jason Mork released the autopsy results for 21-year-old Brooke Baures of Chetek, a senior and standout gymnast at Winona State University in Minnesota. Baures was working at a banquet on the second floor of WingDam Saloon and Grill when the accident happened Dec. 1.

Based on witness' statements, police believe Baures was the only person who could have pressed the dumbwaiter's control button on the second floor and concluded no crime was committed in her death.

The autopsy found "extensive destruction" of the brainstem and left side of the cerebellum and concluded she died of severe head trauma. Police believe her head was almost entirely inside the cab of the elevator when it descended.

Based on autopsy results, police said they believe Baures' head "was located almost entirely inside the cab of the elevator canted slightly to her right as the cab descended. When the roof of the cab passed the sill of the second floor access, Brooke sustained fatal crushing injuries to her brainstem and cerebellum," the report said. Anyone operating the dumbwaiter had only about five seconds before the interior of the cab disappeared below the sill, police said.

The dumbwaiter has since been permanently removed.

Federal and state regulators have launched separate investigations.

Absolutely horrible. It's one of those situations where you sort of want more information to make sense of it, and then when you get it, you almost wished you didn't know.