This just in...
Ruslana Korshunova's death was ruled a suicide today (Sunday, June 29, 2008) by the Medical Examiner's Office in New York City.
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Below is a compilation of the most recent news reports on the tragic death of supermodel Ruslana Korshunova yesterday:
From the Herald Sun:
"Kazakhstanian model jumps to death from Manhattan apartment
"The fashion world is in shock after the death of supermodel Ruslana Korshunova yesterday.
Korshunova, 20, jumped from her Manhattan apartment to her death.
Korshunova, who has been on the cover of French Elle and Russian Vogue, jumped from her ninth-floor flat in Water St just before 2.30pm.
"I heard what sounded like a gunshot or a bomb or an explosion," witness Patrick, 32, of Brooklyn said.
"I looked down the street and I say to the cop, 'Did that person just get hit by a car?' "
Police said there were no signs of a struggle in the flat.
The window from which Korshunova fell had a balcony with construction netting around it that appeared to have been cut
The 173cm beauty has been in ads for DKNY, Vera Wang and Christian Dior, among others, and was hailed as the next big thing in a profile in Vogue three years ago.
"She's one of the sweetest, nicest people you'll ever meet," said a friend, who did not want to be identified.
"I'm still in shock. The world lost a great person."
Korshunova has been a mainstay at Fashion Week in New York and London, working with all-star designers Jill Stuart, Betsey Johnson, Rosa Cha and Lela Rose.
Her break came when modelling booker Debbie Jones noticed her while perusing an in-flight magazine article about her home town of Almaty, Kazakhstan, the Vogue report said.
"She looked like something out of a fairytale!" Ms Jones told the magazine.
"We had to find her and we searched high and low until we did."
Korshunova's friend said she had just returned from a modelling assignment in Paris and seemed to be on top of the world.
"There were no signs. That's what's driving me crazy. I don't see one reason she would do that, " he said.
Korshunova had been sending money to her parents in Kazakhstan.
Korshunova's doorman remembered her as being very soft spoken.
"She always said hi and bye," he said. "She was beautiful, beautiful."
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"Model falls from Manhattan building in apparent suicide
BY ANDREW STRICKLER
11:09 PM EDT, June 28, 2008
Photo by Thomas Concordia"A model who walked runways around the world and graced the covers of fashion magazines fell from a Manhattan building Saturday in an apparent suicide, New York City police said.
Ruslana Korshunova, known for her distinctive long hair and green eyes, was apparently killed in the fall at 2:30 p.m. onto busy Water Street outside the Financial District condo building where she lived.
It appeared she fell from the balcony of her ninth-floor apartment, police said, where a large hole was visible in construction netting hanging on the front of the 12-story building.
Investigators were still examining the scene late Saturday, but a police source said there was no sign of a struggle in the apartment. It was unclear if anyone else was in the apartment at the time of the fall or if a suicide note was found. The city medical examiner is to determine the cause of death.
Mahmoud Nakeeb, 45, the building doorman, said he arrived for work about 4 p.m. to find Korshunova's sheet-covered body in the middle of Water Street.
"She's a very sweet girl. She was always smiling. I never see her depressed," Nakeeb said. Korshunova moved in about two months ago, renting the one-bedroom apartment, which had previously been converted from a studio, from the condo owner, he said.
Korshunova, 20, was originally from the former Russian republic of Kazakhstan, according to published reports. Since 2003, she has appeared on the covers of European editions of Elle and Vogue magazines, and in ads for DKNY, Vera Wang, Marc Jacobs and other companies.
Nakeeb worked the night shift on Friday and was on duty when Korshunova came home alone between 4 and 5 a.m., dressed casually and apparently undisturbed. "She said 'Hi.' She always said 'Hi,'" he said.
Korshunova was represented in New York by IMG Models, a top-tier international agency that lists supermodels Kate Moss and Heidi Klum among its clients.
An IMG representative confirmed Saturday that Korshunova was a client but declined to comment further. Korshunova's condo board president also declined to comment.
Pervaiz Shallwani contributed to this story."
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And from Gothamist.com:
"June 29, 2008
Model Apparently Jumps to Death in Lower Manhattan
Police believe that a 20-year-old woman committed suicide by jumping out of her Water Street apartment's balcony around 2:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon. The woman was identified as Kazhakstan model Ruslana Korshunova.
Newsday reported, "It appeared she fell from the balcony of her ninth-floor apartment, police said, where a large hole was visible in construction netting hanging on the front of the 12-story building." A Con Ed worker, who had been talking to a cop at the time, told the Post, "I heard what sounded like a gunshot or a bomb or an explosion...I looked down the street, and I say to the cop, 'Did that person just get hit by a car?'"
Another person told the Daily News, "All I saw was something moving out of the corner of my eye, and then boom. It sounded like a bass drum when she hit the ground." No one on Water Street was hurt.
The building's doorman Mahmoud Nakeeb described Korshunova, who had modeled for DKNY, Marc Jacobs, Jill Stuart, Vera Wang, Lela Rose, and others, as "sweet" and "always smiling." He added that she moved in two months ago. A friend spoke to the Post and said the model had just returned from a job in Paris, "The world lost a great person...There were no signs. That's what's driving me crazy. I don't see one reason why she would do that."
The ME's office will determine a cause of death; per Newsday, a police source said there were no signs of a struggle and it's "unclear if anyone else was in the apartment at the time of the fall or if a suicide note was found." According to British Vogue, Korshunova was discovered in 2003, when a booker was reading an in-flight magazine feature about her hometown, "I saw her by chance and she looked like something out of a fairytale!"
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And from the New York Post:
"MODEL SUICIDE
KAZAKH BEAUTY JUMPS TO DEATH IN FINANCIAL DISTRICT
Friends said Ruslana Korshunova showed no signs of depression. Picture: AP
By MELISSA JANE KRONFELD, TATIANA DELIGIANNAKIS and TOM LIDDY
Last updated: 10:24 pm
June 28, 2008
A stunning supermodel leaped from her swank downtown apartment to her death today in an apparent suicide, officials said.
Korshunova Photo Gallery
Ruslana Korshunova, 20, whose face has graced the cover of French Elle and Russian Vogue, apparently jumped from her ninth-floor apartment in her Water Street building in the Financial District just before 2:30 p.m.
"I heard what sounded like a gunshot or a bomb or an explosion," said a stunned Con Ed worker talking to a cop nearby before the beauty leaped.
"I looked down the street, and I say to the cop, 'Did that person just get hit by a car?' " said the worker, who identified himself only as Patrick, 32, of Brooklyn.
The two men raced over. "Her arms were crushed," Patrick said. "Her head was on the left side and blood was coming out in a pool."
Cops said there were no signs of a struggle in the apartment.
The window from which she fell had a balcony, which had construction netting around it that appeared to have been cut.
The 5-foot-8 head-turner has been featured in ads for DKNY, Vera Wang and Christian Dior among others and was hailed as "the next big thing" in a profile in Vogue three years ago.
"She's one of the sweetest, nicest people you'll ever meet," said a friend, who did not want to be identified by name.
"I'm still in shock. The world lost a great person."
The lithe looker has been a mainstay at Fashion Week in the Big Apple and London, working with all-star designers Jill Stuart, Betsey Johnson, Rosa Cha, Lela Rose and Libertine.
The pal said that Korshunova had just returned from a modeling gig in Paris and seemed to be "on top of the world."
"There were no signs," he said. "That's what's driving me crazy. I don't see one reason why she would do that."
Korshunova, who had been sending money back to her parents in Kazakhstan, was in love with the city.
"She really liked New York," said the friend. "People made her feel comfortable here."
Korshunova's doorman, who did not want to be identified, remembered the catwalker as "very soft-spoken."
"She always said hi and bye," he said. "She was beautiful, beautiful."
tom.liddy@nypost.com"
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Again, I am at a loss for words. May you find peace, Ruslana, in the Elysian fields.
If and when more information comes in about Ruslana's tragic death, I will update this post.
A tribute to Ruslana...
LINKS:
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nyjump0629,0,1107339.story
http://gothamist.com/2008/06/29/ruslana_korshunova.php
http://www.nypost.com/seven/06282008/news/regionalnews/model_suicide_117616.htm
http://movies.msn.com/celebs/article.aspx/?news=320967&affid=100055&silentchk=1&
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