Police release information about woman found dead in Happy Valley Casino parking lot
A Clearfield County woman died of natural causes after she was found unresponsive in a vehicle early Thursday in the parking lot of the new Happy Valley Casino.
State College police and Centre LifeLink EMS were dispatched about 3:20 a.m. Thursday to the casino parking lot for a report of an unresponsive woman in a vehicle. Borough police said in a press release issued Tuesday it was apparent she had a life-threatening medical emergency.
Despite what police described as substantial life-saving measures, the 78-year-old was pronounced dead. Investigators later determined she had diagnosed medical conditions that contributed to her death, police wrote.
Happy Valley Casino did not immediately respond Tuesday to an email from the Centre Daily Times, which sought answers to when and how the woman was found, as well as whether it’s the casino’s responsibility to patrol its portion of the parking lot at the Nittany Mall.
The police department said the investigation is closed, but the Centre County Coroner’s Office on Monday told the CDT it was waiting for toxicology results to determine the cause and manner of death. That process typically takes upward of four weeks.
Neither police nor the coroner’s office released the woman’s name.
This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 4:02 PM.