Marriott suicide linked to employee assault

A woman working at San Francisco’s Marriott Marquis was found in the penthouse suite on Sunday afternoon suffering from serious injuries that have been linked to a New York City man who died by suicide earlier that day.

The San Francisco Police Department’s Special Victims Unit, which handles cases such as sexual assault and domestic violence, is investigating the assault, San Francisco police spokeswoman Officer Grace Gatpandan said Tuesday.

The man died at about 10:39 a.m. on Sunday apparently by leaping from the roof of the Marriott Marquis near the intersection of Mission and Fourth streets. He was identified by the San Francisco medical examiner’s office as 26-year-old Alexander Damhuis.

The medical examiner said Damhuis was found to have resided in both the Bronx and Brooklyn.

Gatpandan said hotel employees called San Francisco police at 5:28 p.m. on Sunday to report a missing employee.

The employees initiated their own search of the hotel before police arrived and found the woman in a penthouse suite suffering from life-threatening injuries, Gatpandan said.

The woman was taken to San Francisco General Hospital for treatment. Police did not have any update on the woman’s condition this afternoon.

Investigators found evidence in the penthouse that linked Damhuis to the assault.

According to Damhuis’ LinkedIn profile, he worked as a communications director for the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, which is holding its annual meeting at the nearby Moscone Convention Center this week.

Damhuis studied economics and psychology at the University of Maryland from 2008 to 2011.

Police said the motive for the assault remains under investigation.