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Police: Wanted reality TV star found dead
Jenkins was accused of killing ex-wife before fleeing to Canada
Ryan Alexander Jenkins and Jasmine Fiore were married in Las Vegas March 18 after meeting a few weeks earlier.
AP/TMZ
updated 23 minutes ago
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - A reality show contestant wanted for murder in the gruesome death and mutilation of his ex-wife was found dead Sunday of an apparent suicide after hanging himself in a secluded Canadian motel, authorities said.
Sgt. Duncan Pound of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police border integrity unit says police responded to a call about a dead person in Hope, east of Vancouver, and then called investigators who were part of the massive manhunt for Jenkins.
The real estate developer and investor was wanted in California on first-degree murder charges after the mutilated body of his ex-wife was found in a trash bin in Buena Park, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles.
Jenkins had apparently hanged himself, said Farrah Emami, spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney's Office in California, which is contact with Canadian police.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are "now able to confirm that a deceased person that was found in a motel in Hope, British Columbia is, in fact, Ryan Jenkins," Pound said.
"At this present time, the investigation into the circumstances of his death is continuing, but preliminary evidence suggests that he took his own life. Any further details will not be released at this time as this investigation remains in its infancy."
Out-of-the-way motel
Pound said police don't yet know how long Jenkins was at the motel before his body was discovered. Jenkins was identified through fingerprints, he said.
Jenkins' body was found in The Thunderbird Motel on a secluded road on the outskirts of Hope B.C. at the entrance to the province's mountainous interior. His body was found in a room at the out-of-the-way motel.
The Thunderbird was surrounded by police with a coroner's van, said Mark Lojeski who works at the nearby Lucky Strike Motel.
Jenkins, 32, disappeared last week but his boat was found Wednesday at a marina not far from the U.S.-Canada border south of Vancouver.
Jenkins ‘solely responsible’
Fiore's teeth had been pulled out and her fingers cut off, apparently to impede her identification. Investigators used the serial numbers on her breast implants to identify her, according to the Orange County district attorney's office.
After the U.S. Justice Department issued an extradition request, Canada issued a nation-wide warrant for Jenkins' arrest. Canadian authorities initially launched a massive border search using helicopters, ground police and dogs.
Jenkins and Fiore met in Las Vegas in March and they married a few weeks later. The couple separated shortly afterward, but had reportedly recently reconciled.
California authorities said police in Buena Park where Fiore was found would continue their investigation to make sure no one else was involved in the killing, but did not expect to find anything.
"We continue to believe that Mr. Jenkins was solely responsible," said Emami, spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
A phone message left with Fiore's mother, Lisa Lepore, was not immediately returned.
Friends said Fiore was a model who worked mainly in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, doing gigs such as being bodypainted at parties. She also was an aspiring actress and had a bit part in a small 2008 horror science-fiction movie, "The Abandoned," according to the Internet Movie Database.
Jenkins was recently a contestant on VH1 reality show "Megan Wants a Millionaire," in which wealthy young men tried to win over a materialistic blonde. The network canceled the show Friday.
He also was a participant in an as-yet-unaired competitive reality series, "I Love Money 3." A VH1 spokesman said no decision has been made on whether or not to run the show.
Court records showed Jenkins was charged in June in Nevada with a misdemeanor count of "battery constituting domestic violence" for allegedly hitting Fiore in the arm and was set to be tried in December.
Prosecutors said the two checked into a San Diego hotel Aug. 13, and Jenkins checked out the next morning. Fiore was not seen alive again.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32534223/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/
Jenkins was accused of killing ex-wife before fleeing to Canada
AP/TMZ
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - A reality show contestant wanted for murder in the gruesome death and mutilation of his ex-wife was found dead Sunday of an apparent suicide after hanging himself in a secluded Canadian motel, authorities said.
Sgt. Duncan Pound of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police border integrity unit says police responded to a call about a dead person in Hope, east of Vancouver, and then called investigators who were part of the massive manhunt for Jenkins.
The real estate developer and investor was wanted in California on first-degree murder charges after the mutilated body of his ex-wife was found in a trash bin in Buena Park, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles.
Jenkins had apparently hanged himself, said Farrah Emami, spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney's Office in California, which is contact with Canadian police.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are "now able to confirm that a deceased person that was found in a motel in Hope, British Columbia is, in fact, Ryan Jenkins," Pound said.
"At this present time, the investigation into the circumstances of his death is continuing, but preliminary evidence suggests that he took his own life. Any further details will not be released at this time as this investigation remains in its infancy."
Out-of-the-way motel
Pound said police don't yet know how long Jenkins was at the motel before his body was discovered. Jenkins was identified through fingerprints, he said.
Jenkins' body was found in The Thunderbird Motel on a secluded road on the outskirts of Hope B.C. at the entrance to the province's mountainous interior. His body was found in a room at the out-of-the-way motel.
The Thunderbird was surrounded by police with a coroner's van, said Mark Lojeski who works at the nearby Lucky Strike Motel.
Jenkins, 32, disappeared last week but his boat was found Wednesday at a marina not far from the U.S.-Canada border south of Vancouver.
Jenkins ‘solely responsible’
Fiore's teeth had been pulled out and her fingers cut off, apparently to impede her identification. Investigators used the serial numbers on her breast implants to identify her, according to the Orange County district attorney's office.
After the U.S. Justice Department issued an extradition request, Canada issued a nation-wide warrant for Jenkins' arrest. Canadian authorities initially launched a massive border search using helicopters, ground police and dogs.
Jenkins and Fiore met in Las Vegas in March and they married a few weeks later. The couple separated shortly afterward, but had reportedly recently reconciled.
California authorities said police in Buena Park where Fiore was found would continue their investigation to make sure no one else was involved in the killing, but did not expect to find anything.
"We continue to believe that Mr. Jenkins was solely responsible," said Emami, spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
A phone message left with Fiore's mother, Lisa Lepore, was not immediately returned.
Friends said Fiore was a model who worked mainly in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, doing gigs such as being bodypainted at parties. She also was an aspiring actress and had a bit part in a small 2008 horror science-fiction movie, "The Abandoned," according to the Internet Movie Database.
Jenkins was recently a contestant on VH1 reality show "Megan Wants a Millionaire," in which wealthy young men tried to win over a materialistic blonde. The network canceled the show Friday.
He also was a participant in an as-yet-unaired competitive reality series, "I Love Money 3." A VH1 spokesman said no decision has been made on whether or not to run the show.
Court records showed Jenkins was charged in June in Nevada with a misdemeanor count of "battery constituting domestic violence" for allegedly hitting Fiore in the arm and was set to be tried in December.
Prosecutors said the two checked into a San Diego hotel Aug. 13, and Jenkins checked out the next morning. Fiore was not seen alive again.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32534223/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/
