On Thursday, Beijing police issued a statement saying that Yuan Liya had committed suicide.

BBC: China

Next came supermodels Carolyn Murphy and Liya Kibede (who is being phased out this year).

FORBES: Magazine Article

Yuan Liya was a worker at the clothing retail centre, and was last seen entering the building on 2 May.

BBC: China

Yuan Liya, a 22-year-old from Anhui, fell to her death on 3 May from a mall in Fengtai district in Beijing.

BBC: China

Liya is not a stranger to Forbes.com, having appeared on the Forbes list of top earning models in both 2007 and 2008.

FORBES: Model and Activist Liya Kebede On Inspiring Women Prior to the WIE Symposium

More than 10 buses and vans carrying police officers were in Fengtai district on Thursday, with AFP news agency reporting that hundreds of police were lining the streets near the mall where Yuan Liya had died.

BBC: China

In the weeks leading up to the event, I had an opportunity to speak with featured WIE Symposium panelist Liya Kebede (model, actress, fashion designer, and activist whose charity, The Liya Kebede Foundation, works toward ensuring maternal health and saving the lives of women and children around the world) about the women that have inspired her and her thoughts for the next generation of women leaders.

FORBES: Model and Activist Liya Kebede On Inspiring Women Prior to the WIE Symposium