Supermodel Commits Suicide

Supermodel RUSLANA KORSHUNOVA has plunged to her death from a New York apartment in an apparent suicide.

The 20-year-old, who graced the runways for some of the world's top designers and fashion magazines including Vogue and Elle, was found dead outside a residential building in Manhattan on Saturday.

Witnesses have told police they saw a woman jump from a ninth-floor balcony, and officials are expected to give a verdict of suicide following an inquest.

Detective Martin Speechley of the New York Police Department says, "No criminality is suspected. Her front door was locked from the inside. There was no sign of a struggle.

"She appears to have made an effort to get off her balcony as some construction netting had been cut."

Tragic Ruslana, who hails from Kazakhstan, was discovered in 2003 when she posed for a magazine feature on her German language club in her home country.

Models 1 booker Debbie Jones spotted the article and tracked down the 5 ft 9 beauty and she was signed up immediately.

During her career, the long-haired beauty modelled for some of the world's biggest fashion houses, including DKNY, Betsey Johnson, Marc Jacobs, Nina Ricci, Christian Dior and Vera Wang.

She also graced the covers of Russian Vogue and French Elle and was known as the 'Russian Rapunzel' for her long locks.

In 2005, she was dubbed 'fashion's muse of the moment' by the Times and modelled alongside supermodel Lily Cole.

In the months leading up to her death, she posted a series of emotionally-revealing poems and statements on her social networking page.

Three months ago, she wrote: 'I'm so lost. Will I ever find myself'

And in January, she wrote: 'It hurts, as if someone took a part of me, tore it out, mercilessly stomped all over and threw it out.

'My dream is to fly. Oh, my rainbow it is too high.'

A representative for Korshunova's modelling agency, IMG, which also handles Heidi Klum and Kate Moss paid tribute to the late star, saying, "We're shocked and our heart goes out to her family."