Foul Play Ruled out in SF Hospital Patient's Death A spokesman for the family of a San Francisco woman whose body was found in the stairwell of a hospital where she was a patient says investigators have ruled out foul play in her disappearance and death. The spokesman, David Perry, told reporters Thursday that while the coroner hasn't established a cause or time of death for 57-year-old Lynne Spalding, investigators don't think she was the victim of an attack. Spalding's body was found Tuesday in a fire exit stairwell at San Francisco General Hospital. She was admitted to the city-owned hospital with an infection on Sept. 19 and reported missing from her room two days later. Meanwhile, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee announced Thursday that he's hiring an independent consultant to investigate the hospital's security and search protocols.