Monday, August 24, 2009

Buena Park, CA: Suspect in model's murder found dead in Canada


(CNN) -- Ryan Alexander Jenkins, a reality TV contestant suspected in his wife's slaying, was found hanging from a coat rack in a motel room in an apparent suicide, according to Canadian officials.

Staff at a motel in Hope, British Columbia, found Jenkins dead, officials said.

"It was a man hanging by a belt from a coat rack," Kevin Walker, the manager of the budget Thunderbird Motel, told CNN affiliate CTV on Sunday.

Walker said a woman, about 20 to 25 years old, dropped off Jenkins at the motel on Friday in a silver Chrysler PT Cruiser with Alberta tags. Police have not been able to identify the woman. VideoWatch how suspect found in hotel »

Earlier Sunday, Canadian authorities said they had credible information that Jenkins was in Canada and called on him to turn himself in. He was believed to be armed and dangerous. VideoWatch what led police to hotel room »

The nude body of Jenkins' wife, former swimsuit model Jasmine Fiore, was found last weekend in Orange County, California. CNN has not confirmed reports that the marriage was annulled.

Fiore's body was found last Saturday in a Dumpster behind an apartment complex in Buena Park, just outside Anaheim, California. Her teeth had been extracted and fingers removed in what police said was an apparent attempt to conceal her identity.

Law enforcement sources have told CNN that Fiore was identified through the serial numbers on her breast implants.

Fiore lived in Los Angeles and was last seen alive in San Diego at a poker game with Jenkins, the night before the body was found.

Jenkins reported Fiore missing last Saturday night to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, authorities said.

The body was identified Monday as Fiore. While the cause of death had not been confirmed, a preliminary coroner's report indicated she was strangled.

According to court records in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jenkins was charged in June with battery for allegedly striking Fiore in the arm with his fist.

And in 2007, Jenkins pleaded guilty in Calgary, Alberta, Canada to assault in a separate case. He was sentenced to 15 months probation, ordered to undergo counseling for domestic violence and sex addiction and to stay away from the person involved, according to court records.

Jenkins, who appeared on the VH1 show "Megan Wants a Millionaire," is from Calgary.

51Minds, which produced "Megan Wants a Millionaire," said Thursday in a written statement that it "was not aware of Ryan Jenkins' record when it cast him.

"The company did have in place what it thought was a thorough vetting process that involved complete background checks by an outside company for all contestants on its shows," it said. "Clearly, the process did not work properly in this case. 51 Minds is investigating what went wrong and taking steps to ensure that this sort of lapse never occurs again."

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