May 7, 2001 – A St. Thomas businesswoman plunged to her death early Saturday morning after falling from the balcony of a hotel on St. Croix.
Emergency workers were called at 1 a.m. to reports that the woman, 33-year-old Marion Bischoff-Hennsen, had fallen from a third-floor balcony at the King Christian Hotel. Bischoff-Hennsen, owner of the Silver World Jewelry stores with locations on St. Thomas and St. Croix, was on St. Croix for the Ironman Jump Up block party Friday night.
Deputy Police Chief Novelle Francis said Sunday afternoon that friends of Bischoff-Hennsen described her as being "depressed and having problems." She was on St. Croix with a male friend from St. Thomas, Francis said, adding that Bischoff-Hennsen and the man were sitting on the hotel room balcony for some time talking before "the man apparently went inside the room and left her on the balcony." Francis said the unidentified man, believed to be from St. Thomas, was the last to see Bischoff-Hensen alive.
Francis said the woman fell face down on the pavement in front of the hotel, where she was pronounced dead at 1:52 a.m.
On Sunday, the case was classified as an accidental fall, but Francis said an investigation is under way to determine whether foul play was involved. He asked anyone with information to contact police at 778-2211 or 911.
