Police and medical examiners yesterday continued investigations into the separate deaths of two former fashion models, with investigators ruling out foul play thus far, saying the two women likely succumbed to sudden natural causes.
The deaths of Kate Wang (王亭又) and Phoebe Huang (黃沛潔) came within days of each other, shocking Taiwan’s entertainment and modeling industries.
Both Wang, 41, and Huang, 40, were seen as successful women who had enjoyed the limelight as fashion models in their youth, but were no longer active in the industry and ran their own businesses.
Photo retaken from Phoebe Huang’s Facebook page
Wang and Huang had worked for the nation’s leading modeling agencies, Eelin Entertainment and Catwalk Production House respectively.
An autopsy found an aortic rupture, which leads to internal bleeding and trauma, following an aortic aneurysm was the cause of Wang’s death.
Wang’s family announced her death in a statement by Eelin on Tuesday, saying Wang lost consciousness during a meeting at her wedding service company in Taipei on Wednesday last week.
Wang was rushed to National Taiwan University Hospital, but died on Friday, and the news was kept under wraps before the statement on Tuesday.
Huang’s mother on Sunday went to Huang’s house in Taipei after being unable to contact her for several days and found her dead next to her bed. A preliminary examination indicated she had probably died on Saturday.
According to the inital report, there were no signs of foul play and no external injuries on Huang’s body, and she was likely killed by a sudden fatal condition, as she had applied makeup and was wearing a dress, which indicated she was planning to go out.
Investigators said security footage from her building showed no one other than Huang had entered her apartment, and there were no signs of drug or alcohol consumption prior to her death.
Authorities said they would conduct an autopsy later this week to determine the cause of her death, as there are still some uncertainties in the case.
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