Friends and family of a young Kenyan housekeeper who fell 15 floors to her death at a Sydney hotel have expressed astonishment that her body appeared almost unscathed when they saw it two days later.
Incident Details
Sheila Jepkorir Chebii, 25, died at lunchtime on May 17 after falling from the 19th floor of the Meriton Suites on Sussex Street in Sydney's CBD. She had arrived in Australia just six weeks earlier and was working as a housekeeper at the 32-storey tower.
When next-of-kin were finally permitted to view her body 48 hours after the incident, they were amazed to find it showed almost no signs of the catastrophic fall. 'When we heard she'd fallen from the 19th floor, everybody was prepared to see a shattered body,' said friend Chepchir Chir. 'But when we got there, the body was intact. No fractures, no shattered skull, nothing. She was just peaceful.'
Calls for Investigation
As speculation mounts, Ms Chebii's supporters have demanded a thorough investigation. Ms Chir highlighted several unanswered questions: 'Why did it take so long for Sheila's employer to contact her family? They called around two days after – what happened? We want to know what happened on the 19th floor, in the room she was in – was there a client in there? Has the person who identified her body on the fourth floor been questioned? It's been 16 days and there's been nothing in the news.'
Dozens from the Kenyan community marched through Sydney on Tuesday, calling for a full probe. They gathered outside the Meriton Suites, chanting her name and wearing white and traditional Kenyan attire as a symbol of unity.
Official Response
Emergency services were called to the hotel at 1.30pm, where Ms Chebii's body was found on a fourth-floor balcony. NSW Police stated they are not treating the death as suspicious and will prepare a report for the coroner. A Meriton Group spokesperson confirmed police are treating it as a 'self-harm incident' and noted the employee worked for a subcontractor.
However, family members have cast doubt on the official version, noting her injuries were minimal: 'a small injury on the forehead, a dent on one eye, bruises on her arms and an injury on the hip.' They believe her cause of death remains unclear.
Community and Political Response
Questions have been raised in Kenya's parliament, with MP Timothy Toroitich demanding a thorough investigation. 'This is a young lady who was carrying the dreams and aspirations of her family. So far, there has been no major truth on the death of Sheila.'
A GoFundMe has been set up to assist with legal costs, funeral arrangements, and repatriation of her body to Kenya. It has raised over $3,300 of a $12,000 goal. The family awaits the coroner's report to clarify the circumstances.
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