Slain model had fingers, teeth removed, police said | L.A. Now | Los Angeles Times

Slain model had fingers, teeth removed, police said

August 20, 2009 |  4:53 pm

A swimsuit model had her teeth and fingers removed when she was slain and placed in a suitcase, authorities said today as they announced an arrest warrant for a reality TV show contestant who allegedly killed her.

The gruesome details of  28-year-old Jasmine Fiore's death come as authorities in British Columbia and the United States search for the suspect. Police believe Ryan Alexander Jenkins, who had been married to Fiore, fled into Canada sometime this morning and might be getting help from others.

At a news conference at Buena Park City Hall, a Fiore family spokesman urged people not to help Jenkins.

Jenkins "is an animal. What he has done to Jasmine is unspeakable," said Robert Hasman, who identified himself as a one-time boyfriend.  "It's just not right... Understand who you are helping."

The charge comes as officials in the United States and Canada are searching for Jenkins. He was reportedly seen late Wednesday in Bellingham, Wash., where officials believe he may have walked across the border into Canada. Law enforcement officials said Jenkins used a boat to get to Point Roberts, Wash.,from where he then could have entered Canada on foot. 

 

Earlier today, police issued an arrest warrant for Jenkins.

Officials in Washington and British Columbia are focusing their search on the border area.

Jenkins, a participant on the VH1 reality program "Megan Wants a Millionaire" and the self-described chief executive of a Canadian real estate development company, was named by Buena Park police as a person of interest in the slaying of Fiore.

Jenkins reported Fiore missing Saturday after they attended a San Diego poker tournament. Her body was found Saturday, stuffed inside a suitcase in a trash bin in Buena Park.

Canadian authorities said Wednesday that Jenkins had a previous conviction for assault on an unidentified woman. And in June, Jenkins was charged in Las Vegas with battery against Fiore, according to court records.

Jenkins used his fist to strike his wife in the arm in early April, the records show. They were fighting at a hotel swimming pool when he struck her, a law enforcement source in Las Vegas said. 

Jenkins is scheduled for trial in December.

--Richard Winton and Andrew Blankstein

Slain model had fingers, teeth removed, police said | L.A. Now | Los Angeles Times