An apparently troubled woman who plummeted 16 stories down a Portland garbage chute remains hospitalized from her life-threatening injuries as police, neighbors and the building’s managers piece together what happened that day.
The woman continues to receive medical treatment, said Lt. Kristina Jones, a Portland Police Bureau spokeswoman. Police don’t suspect foul play in her fall.
The episode unfolded this week at The Civic, a luxury condo building on West Burnside Street.
The building’s homeowner association said erratic outbursts by the woman, a “legal guest” at the condo tower, had prompted calls to the police on two prior occasions, according to emails obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive.
The latest incident began Monday afternoon when a resident on the 16th floor said he heard frantic kicking and pounding on his front door.
The woman burst into the home and began destroying plates, vases and cutlery, said owner Steven Lofton. She eventually ran out of the apartment and into the hallway.
Moments later, the woman fell down the garbage chute in a room off the floor’s hallway.
"She was alone in the room and there is no indication of foul play regarding her entering the chute,” Jones said. “The part that is still under investigation is related to the apartment interior damage.''
The woman visited the building because she had a friend on the 16th floor. In an email addressed to building staff, the friend provided additional details about “the horrible incident.”
The woman, he wrote, had showed up at his condo Sunday night and began having what appeared to be a mental health crisis. He decided to leave and stay at a hotel “for my safety” and left the woman behind in his home by herself, he wrote.
He said he called 911 multiple times from the hotel to ensure her safety and that she eventually left his condo.
But the woman, he said, returned Monday.
“I expressed that I wouldn’t come home until she left the building for my own safety,” he wrote. He didn’t return calls and email messages for comment.
A LinkedIn account for the woman lists her as a Chase Bank employee. Her social media profiles claim she is also an aspiring model and social media influencer.
The homeowner association said it plans to hold a town hall meeting to discuss the incident with building residents.
“We are working with our attorney and the police to gather all the information so that we can properly answer all of your questions,” wrote James Ball, the condo’s board chairman.
-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh and Jayati Ramakrishnan
Email at skavanaugh@oregonian.com, jramakrishnan@oregonian.com
Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox.