Woman dies in 24 Hour Fitness steam room, isn’t found for a day

A Denver woman passed out and later died in the steam room of a 24 Hour Fitness, according to police, and she wasn’t discovered until the next day by other gym members.

Akiko Belich, 77, was found in late March by two female gym members at the club almost a full day after she’s believed to have died.

“Awful … obviously they didn’t bother to make rounds of the facility to make sure that everybody’s all right,” gym member Sonya Wasinger told Fox 31 Denver.

Belich died from acute renal failure due to dehydration, the coroner reported, but ruled her death an accident.

A manager of 24 Hour Fitness said at the end of the night the closing employee is responsible for doing a walk-through of all facilities to make sure no one is left inside, but it must not have been done that night.

“We continually review our club protocols to ensure the safety and security of our members and to assure that everyone who visits a 24 Hour Fitness club has a positive experience,” the company said in a statement. “For privacy reasons, we don’t discuss staff or member information.”

Contact Kristen DeSilva at 702-477-3895 or kdesilva@reviewjournal.com.  Find her on Twitter: @kristendesilva