Mother, 7-year-old son dead after plunging off boutique hotel in NYC
NEW YORK -- A former Playboy model who was involved in a custody battle apparently jumped with her 7-year-old son from a hotel in midtown Manhattan and both died, law enforcement officials told the Associated Press on Friday. Stephanie Adams and her son Vincent had checked into the penthouse suite of the Gotham Hotel on the 25th floor on Thursday, officials said.
They were found on a second-floor balcony at about 8:15 a.m. Friday by workers, who called police. Officials weren't authorized to speak publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
Hotel staff said they had no information and the investigation is ongoing.
Police said they were unable to find a suicide note belonging to the woman, CBS New York reports. Police said the woman was in a custody battle with her ex-husband over the boy.
The Gotham Hotel is located on 46th Street, about four blocks from Grand Central Terminal.
In 2012, Adams was awarded $1.2 million for rough treatment during a 2006 encounter with NYPD, which she said she led to permanent neck and back injuries. In her lawsuit against the city, Adams said officers threw her to the ground at gunpoint after a taxi driver falsely claimed she was armed and dangerous.