Death of model officially ruled suicide

BY STEVE RITEA | steve.ritea@newsday.com

10:48 PM EDT, June 29, 2008

The death of a 20-year-old fashion model has officially been ruled a suicide, the city medical examiner's office said yesterday, a day after she fell from a window in her lower Manhattan apartment.

No suicide note was found, police said. Although there were reports of her jeans being ripped, such rips are typical in a fall, police said.

Ruslana Korshunova, originally from the former Russian republic of Kazakhstan, has appeared on the covers of European editions of Elle and Vogue magazines and in ads for DKNY, Vera Wang, Marc Jacobs and other designers.

Known for her long hair and green eyes, Korshunova died after falling from the balcony of her ninth floor apartment at 130 Water St. around 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Megan Cuccia, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner, said Korshunova suffered from blunt impact injuries resulting from the fall and her death has been ruled a suicide.

A large hole was visible in construction netting hanging on the front of the 12-story building Saturday. A spokesperson for the city Buildings Department could not confirm whether the fall caused the hole and, if so, why the netting did not prevent her death. The building's doorman said she moved in about two months ago.

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.