A Cancer Patient Was Beaten to Death Outside of a Hotel, and Nobody Knows Why

From Good Housekeeping

A breast cancer patient undergoing radiation treatment at a hospital was beaten to death as she sat outside her hotel room, WLS-TV reports. The killing of Shannon Vincel, 46, was seemingly random, and police are still scrambling to find a suspect or a motive in her death.

Vincel, who lived in Springfield, Missouri, had traveled to Zion, Illinois to be treated at the Cancer Treatment Center of America, a trip she made every two weeks. According to KSDK-TV, she was waiting for a shuttle bus to take her to a nearby treatment center late Monday night alongside another patient. Then, all of a sudden, a man dressed in dark clothing approached, started hitting Vincel on the head with an unknown object, and then ran off, the Associated Press reports. She was taken to the hospital with a severe head injury, and her family took her off life support.

Police are investigating the case, and are looking at surveillance video and interviewing fellow residents at the hospital. Her family said it was not a robbery, and police reportedly do not have any leads. The Cancer Treatment Centers of America is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for her death. They also released the following statement:

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the victim involved in the tragic incident outside of Guest Quarters West, one of our hotel accommodations located at 1911 27th Street, Zion, Ill. We continue to support the ongoing investigation of the Zion Police Department in support of the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force. Our number one priority remains the safety and wellbeing of our patients, guests and employees."

Vincel's mother said that her daughter was staying optimistic through her treatments and was excited to get her life back to normal. She had already finished chemotherapy and was in the middle of radiation treatments. "She certainly was looking forward to being Shannon again," Anita Adam, 86, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "She'd lost all her hair, but she dealt with it so well. She just accepted it: 'This is what I've been dealt, I'm going to take care of it and get better. She was a girl unto herself."

Matt Pylant, a friend of Vincel's from college, remembers her as a "free spirit" who was always smiling and singing. "I am trying not to be enraged, because as odd as it sounds, Shannon was a kind person and would want to know 'why' instead of seeking immediate revenge," he told GoodHousekeeping.com. "I hope she knows how much she meant to me. And I hope they catch the piece of garbage that did this for, what? A purse? An iPhone?"

A funeral will be held today at St. Clement of Rome Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family is asking for donations to the Opera Theatre of St. Louis or Stray Rescue in St. Louis. If you have any information about the killing, you're encouraged to call police at (847) 872-8000 or Lake County Crime Stoppers at (847) 662-2222.

Stephanie Shore Fisher contributed reporting to this piece.