Woman Who Died in Cryochamber Suffocated Before She Froze, Coroner Rules

A 24-year-old woman who was found frozen solid inside a Nevada cryochamber died from asphyxia, local coroners announced on Tuesday.

Chelsea Ake-Salvacion, who managed the Henderson location of cryotherapy chamber Rejuvenice, entered the chamber alone on the evening of October 19. She was found dead by coworkers the following morning, slumped in the fetal position with no sign of a struggle and her cell phone within reach.

Cryotherapy centers have become increasingly popular among athletes as a treatment for muscle tension and soreness, and are also used for cosmetic reasons, though the science behind these claims is far from settled. In theory, the idea is to immerse the body into very cold temperatures for short periods, either in chambers or through localized techniques like facials, in order to stimulate muscle recovery and promote cellular endurance. Though injuries from cryotherapy have been reported before, this is the first time that someone has died in a chamber.

Ake-Salvacion's death has been ruled an accident caused by the chamber's "oxygen-poor environment," according to the Clark County Office of the Coroner. The liquid nitrogen used to cool these chambers can apparently reduce oxygen levels to as low as five percent, less than a quarter of the 21 percent oxygen levels in normal air. "Breathing air with this low level of oxygen can quickly result in unconsciousness and then death," the coroner's report said.

But for Ake-Salvacion's loved ones, the ruling "raises more questions than it answers," said Richard Harris, an attorney representing the deceased's family, in a statement.

Indeed, Harris claims that Ake-Salvacion had sent text messages expressing concern that the cryochamber might have a leak, due to how quickly the machine was consuming nitrogen. This has led to speculation that she may have dropped her phone while in the chamber, only to to pass out due to oxygen deprivation, then suffocate, and freeze. These machines can reach temperatures as low as minus 240 degrees Fahrenheit and are intended to be utilized for no more than three minutes at a time.

"It doesn't take an engineer to figure out that someone should not be able to go into a machine with or without an attendant present and if they stoop over a foot they are going to die," Harris said. "There needs to be more safeguards to control the delivery of nitrogen to prevent people from breathing the levels that can kill you."

#BREAKING The Clark Co Coroner has determined that Chelsea Ake died from a lack of oxygen. https://t.co/urhUVFbxxk pic.twitter.com/4eHaO0vvKd
— NBC KSNV News 3 (@News3LV) November 10, 2015

Ultimately, however, it remains unclear what happened that night, as the cryochamber was not monitored by security cameras. "Basically, the only person that does know what happened is Chelsea," said Ake-Salvacion's close friend and colleague Shae-Lynn Bee in an interview with KSNV News3.

To that point, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services has launched a formal investigation into the state's cryotherapy centers as a result of the death. Friends and family hope these efforts will lead to better safety restrictions for this emerging industry, which is not yet regulated by the federal Food and Drug Administration. In the meantime, the Henderson location of Rejuvenice where Ake-Salvacion died has been shut down over worker's compensation violations.

Ake-Salvacion's family has founded a fund for their lost relative to honor her memory. "I just want everybody to know she was awesome and she loved everybody," Bee said. "Her legacy will definitely move on through us."