Ardent Mills issues statement about jumper

Mary Ann Strombitski, Ardent Mills communications lead, released the following statement late Wednesday afternoon about the woman who either fell or jumped from the top of one of its grain elevators:

“An unidentified female trespassed on to the Arden Mills’ Alton, Illinois mill facility grounds at about midnight on December 16, 2014, and then gained unauthorized access to the top of a grain elevator, subsequently either falling or jumped. The female did not survive. The incident was immediately reported to local authorities. Operations at the Alton mill facility have resumed.”

Alton Police Chief Simmons said it was a “windy night” on Wednesday when the women fell 186 feet. He reported a male truck driver told police he heard a thud and looked over and saw a purse near him and looked up and saw a young lady leaning over the edge. The man immediately called a supervisor and just as he got off the phone, the lady leaned forward and fell 186 feet.

The call came in at 11:15 p.m. on Tuesday evening about the woman’s fall from the grain elevator. Simmons said at the time of the fall there weren’t a whole lot of people circulating in the area or people working at that time of night.

More information should be released soon in the case from the Alton Police Department.

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