Supermodel Ruslana Korshunova falls to death, in apparent Suicide

Ruslana Korshunova, a European Vogue and Elle cover model, died on Saturday after she fell from her Manhattan apartment building in an apparent suicide on Saturday. She was found dead in front the building in downtown Manhattan, near the financial district and the South Street Seaport tourist area. The fall is under investigation, said the police.

The 20-year-old Kazakh supermodel, who walked the ramp for designers like Kenzo, Betsey Johnson and Jill Stuart fell to her death around 2.30 p.m. when she plunged from a ninth-floor balcony in the building where she had an apartment. Local media reports and the police say that witnesses saw her fall.

She was hailed as ‘a face to be excited about’ in 2005, by British Vogue and had appeared in advertisements and on runways for eminent designers including Marc Jacobs, Nina Ricci and DKNY.

According to one of her friends, Korshunova had just returned from a modeling gig in Paris and seemed to be "on top of the world" and there is no apparent reason why she would commit suicide.

It is not yet known if anyone was present in her apartment at the time of the incident or if she left a suicide note. However, no signs of struggle were found, indicating self-execution. 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. The bewildered doorman said that Korshunova was very sweet and ever-smiling. He had never seen her depressed.

Korshunova was represented by IMG modeling agency in New York, Paris, London and MilanA spokesman for the agency, which also handles Heidi Klum and Kate Moss, said "We're shocked and our heart goes out to her family," reported the Daily News.