http://www.nytimes.com/20...4real.html



Ryan Jenkins, a cast member on two reality television shows who was accused by police in California in the killing of his former wife, was found dead in Canada on Sunday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.

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Mr. Jenkins, a 31-year-old native of Canada, was identified last week as the primary suspect in the murder of Jasmine Fiore, whose body was found in Orange County, Calif., on Aug 15.

An employee at a hotel in British Columbia found Mr. Jenkins’s body on Sunday. “Preliminary evidence suggests that he took his own life,” said Sgt. Duncan Pound of the Mounted Police.

The case received widespread publicity, due in part to Mr. Jenkins’s role as a contestant on two VH1 competition shows. He had picked up a check from 51 Minds Entertainment, the production company responsible for both shows, days before Ms. Fiore was found dead.

VH1 pulled “Megan Wants a Millionaire” after Mr. Jenkins, a contestant, became a person of interest in the murder. “Megan Wants a Millionaire” and another show with Mr. Jenkins, “I Love Money 3,” have both been canceled, a spokesman said Sunday. The authorities did not identify any links between Ms. Fiore’s murder and the TV shows.

There were conflicting reports over the weekend about the relationship between Mr. Jenkins and Ms. Fiore, who were married in Las Vegas in March. The Associated Press said they had recently reunited after separating.

News reports indicated that the two were together shortly before Ms. Fiore’s body was found in a garbage can. Her teeth and fingers had been removed.

Mr. Jenkins was formally charged in her murder on Friday. By then authorities in his native country of Canada were involved in the manhunt, as his boat had been found Wednesday at a marina minutes from the Canadian border.

The case raised questions about the background checks of reality TV contestants, who can be rewarded with more air time and money for outrageous on-camera behavior. Elaine Carey, a senior vice president at Control Risks, a firm that vets contestants for other reality TV shows, said that network lawyers will often require such checks on shows “where they are going to put people into close physical contact and under pressure.”

Mr. Jenkins was convicted of assault two years ago, and was charged in June with misdemeanor battery. 51 Minds Entertainment, the production company responsible for both shows, acknowledged that its background check did not turn up his criminal record. It said in a statement that it was “taking steps to ensure that this sort of lapse never occurs again.”

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