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A woman who died of natural causes in the parking lot of Happy Valley Casino in May had no alcohol or controlled substances in her system, State College police said Monday.
Carol A. Mihalko, 78, of Clearfield County, died of metastatic cancer, according to a document filed June 5 by Centre County Deputy Coroner Lecinda M. Yevchak. No other conditions were listed. Her death was ruled natural.
Centre County Coroner Scott Sayers said Mihalko’s toxicology results were negative. The police department quickly closed the investigation, though the coroner’s office said it was awaiting the toxicology results to determine cause and manner of death. No charges were filed.
State College police and Centre LifeLink EMS were dispatched about 3:20 a.m. May 7 to the casino parking lot for a report of an unresponsive woman in a vehicle. Police said in a press release that it was apparent she had a life-threatening medical emergency.
Despite what police described as substantial life-saving measures, Mihalko was pronounced dead at 4:35 a.m.
According to her obituary, Mihalko had been married to her high school sweetheart for 57 years. She was an alumna of Moshannon Valley High School and retired as a postmaster after 40 years with the U.S. Postal Service.
“Most of all, she enjoyed cheering on her grandchildren - never missing an event, and all things Penn State,” her obituary read. She was survived by two children, four grandchildren, a brother, a sister and others.
Happy Valley Casino did not previously respond to an email from the Centre Daily Times about the death or publicly address the incident, which drew scrutiny to the casino.
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