From "person of interest" to "man on the run" in less than 24 hours.
California prosecutors have charged Megan Wants a Millionaire contestant Ryan Alexander Jenkins with murder in the death of his ex-wife, 28-year-old model Jasmine Fiore.
Fiore's badly beaten nude body was discovered Saturday morning, stuffed inside a blood-stained suitcase that had been tossed into a dumpster.
She had been strangled. The Orange County District Attorney's Office also revealed today that all of Fiore's teeth had been forcibly removed and her fingers had been cut off.
Authorities maintain that Jenkins checked into the L'Auberge Del Mar hotel in San Diego with Fiore on Aug. 13. They say he left the following morning and she was never seen alive again.
Jenkins, who first reported Fiore missing Saturday night and had been wanted for questioning, is currently the target of an international manhunt, having apparently fled SoCal for his native Canada.
"This domestic violence is a brutal crime where a wife suffered at the hands of the person who should have loved her more than anyone else in the world," said O.C. District Attorney Tony Rackauckas. "Mr. Jenkins is considered dangerous, possibly armed, and has the financial means to hide anywhere in the world.
"Anyone helping Mr. Jenkins hide from the police may go to prison themselves. Mr. Jenkins should do the right thing and turn himself in before he gets himself into further trouble."
A BMW and boat trailer belonging to the suspect were found abandoned in Blaine, Wash., which is near the border. Authorities figure he crossed over to Canada on foot.
Ground, air and canine units have been dispatched to track him down.
"At this time, while we believe he has crossed into Canada, we're not a
hundred percent sure of that, and there will be no stone unturned," Tom Hession of the U.S. Marshal Service told reporters this afternoon.
"We'll look under every rock for him. He needs to understand that he's now officially wanted, that we don't stop looking for him. The men and women of the task force and the various agencies involved will continue to look for him until we have him apprehended and in custody."
Jenkins faces a possible sentence of 25-years-to-life in prison if convicted of felony murder. Authorities have recommended he be held on $10 million bail once he's arrested.
VH1 announced earlier Thursday that it had pulled the plug on Megan, which wrapped in March, citing the "tragic situation." Jenkins, who everyone working on the show figured to be single, was featured in at least three episodes.
He and Fiore, whom he met after the show taped, were married in Las Vegas in April, but the bride had the union annulled in May, according to Fiore's mother, Lisa Lepore.
"Ryan Jenkins is an animal," said Robert Hasman, an ex-boyfriend and family friend of Fiore.
"What he has done to Jasmine is unspeakable. It's just not right, and I appreciate your help. Please understand who you're helping leave this country. And we ask for your support to bring Ryan to custody."
A spokesman for Megan producer 51 Minds Entertainment said they were absolutely unaware of Jenkins' history (which included a 2007 assault conviction) when they cast him.
"Obviously, if the company had been given a full picture of his background, he would never have been allowed on the show," rep Allan Mayer said in a statement.
"The company did have in place what it thought was a thorough vetting process that involved complete background checks by an outside company for all contestants on its shows. Clearly, the process did not work properly in this case. 51 Minds is investigating what went wrong and taking steps to ensure that this sort of lapse never occurs again."
—Additional reporting by Lindsay Miller
(Originally published Aug. 20, 2009, at 3:40 p.m. PT)
________
Very awful news. Maybe the Awful Truth will cheer you up.