Mounties ID mystery woman who helped Jenkins

HOPE, B.C. — As B.C. police announced they know who helped Ryan Jenkins check in to the hotel room where he was later found dead, California officials revealed Monday that someone may have helped dispose of his ex-wife's mutilated body.

RCMP Sgt. Duncan Pound said Monday that the force had identified the woman who helped Jenkins pay for the room — but are stressing that she is not a danger to the public.

It's unclear whether she has been arrested. Pound would not reveal her identity, but said she may eventually face charges. He said police are not asking for the public's assistance in locating her.

Jenkins, 32, wanted in the murder of swimsuit model Jasmine Fiore in California, was found dead and hanging inside a room at the Thunderbird Motel in Hope, about 135 kilometres east of Vancouver.

The B.C. Coroners Service reported Monday that their preliminary findings suggest Jenkins' death was "consistent with hanging."

"A toxicology report will be completed within the coming weeks," said a coroner's service news release. "However, the B.C. Coroners Service does not expect results will be contrary to the autopsy findings with respect to the cause of death."

The former real estate developer and reality-TV contestant from Calgary was charged Thursday in California with the murder of Fiore, 28, whose mutilated body was discovered in a trash receptacle on Aug. 15 in Buena Park, Calif., about 30 kilometres southeast of Los Angeles.

"The victim had been badly beaten, all of her fingers had been cut off, and all of her teeth had been forcibly removed," the district attorney's office said. It was later revealed that Fiore's body was identified when coroner's officials traced the serial number on her breast implants.

California police are focusing on the search for Fiore's car and examining Jenkins' cellphone records in the final stage of their investigation into the murder.

"We're actively looking for anybody who may have participated in the murder, anybody who may have helped (Ryan Jenkins) flee from our jurisdiction, and for the victim's car," Susan Kang Schroeder, a spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney's office, said Monday.

Buena Park police have issued a search warrant for Jenkins' cellphone records and are searching for Fiore's white Mercedes to determine who may have helped with the disposal of her mutilated body.

"Our biggest thing is to make sure we've left no stones unturned," said Sgt. Bill Kohanek, a spokesman for California's Buena Park police department.

"But we're still looking into the possibility that someone may have aided him in a criminal way."

Kohanek said police hope that finding Fiore's car will lead them to the crime scene.

"The evidence in the hotel room (where Jenkins was last seen with Fiore) doesn't match to the nature of the crime."

Last Wednesday, authorities tracked Jenkins to a marina in Blaine, Wash., just south of the border with B.C., and found his car and empty boat trailer. The next day, a boat registered to Jenkins was found in Point Roberts, Wash. Jenkins was believed to have crossed into Canada on foot.

Pound said police are "dealing with the speculation on how he came into Canada and how he entered Hope" after fleeing from U.S. police.

"There's a lot of evidence still to be gathered and processed. We won't give details of the evidence we've gathered or the conclusions we are drawing."

The Orange County district attorney's office has no intention of charging anybody else with Fiore's murder, said district attorney spokeswoman Farrah Emami.

The manager of the Thunderbird Motel said a woman checked in on Thursday, saying she needed a room for at least three days, maybe longer, and paid cash through Sunday.

Outside, a man waited in a PT Cruiser with Alberta licence plates.

After entering the motel room, the mystery woman — described as being in her early to mid-20s — stayed for about 20 minutes, then left.

On Sunday, when no one came to check out by the required time of 11 a.m., Kevin Walker went to the room and discovered the body.

After knocking and saying "hello" without a reply, he used a second motel key and opened the locked door, just a crack.

"I opened the door wider and he was hanging from the coat rack by a belt," said Walker.

"After I swung the door open and saw him hanging there — I didn't notice anything after that."

Walker said the woman resembled some photos of Jenkins' ex-girlfriend, Paulina Chmielecka.

"She was sweet, calm and we made small talk," he said.

Jerry Gaffar, a resident in one of the Thunderbird's monthly rental suites, recalled seeing Jenkins wandering in front of the motel.

Gaffar, an automotive technician from the Lower Mainland on sick leave, had followed the media stories about Jenkins and Fiore's murder, but didn't recognize Jenkins.

"He was really skinny and not what he looked like on TV. If I had recognized him, I would have done something before he did what he did."

Walker said he received money from the New York Post newspaper and Inside Edition for brief access to the room where Jenkins hanged himself. He wouldn't say how much money they paid.

Meanwhile, Jenkins' father, a prominent Calgary architect, told the L.A. Times that he believes his son was corrupted by the Hollywood lifestyle.

"If my son was guilty, he was crazy. He was not the boy we knew. The boy we knew was not capable of anything remotely close to this act," Dan Jenkins said. "You talk to everyone here who knew him before he went down there and they'll talk about a wonderful young man, a thoughtful man."

RCMP officers are also investigating the murder.

Officers are examining the laptop found in the B.C. motel room, searching his cellphone records and tracing his spending.

"We've had contact with both sides of (Jenkins') family and no one is trying to hide anything from us as far as we know. But as far as we're concerned he's still the only suspect," said Kohanek.

He couldn't confirm whether Fiore's cellphone has been found.