Ryan Jenkins' Aunt: He Was Not On The Run

There is new information in the case of murdered model Jasmine Fiore, believed killed by her reality TV star husband. Also, appearing on The Early Show Thursday, Ryan Jenkins' aunt Linda said her nephew, who was found dead in a Canadian motel room, was not on the run from the authorities.

As national correspondent Hattie Kauffman reports, police have located Fiore's missing car. Fiore's missing Mercedes was discovered in a Los Angeles parking lot more than a week after her mutilated body was pulled from a dumpster.

Meanwhile, in Canada, published reports say authorities have identified the mystery woman who helped accused killer Ryan Jenkins escape. According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Jenkins' 20-year-old half sister checked him into a motel in Hope, British Columbia. Three days later, Jenkins was found dead in the room. He appeared to have committed suicide.

The car is important because police have never found a crime scene in the grizzly murder of Fiore, whose fingers were cut off and teeth pulled out.

Detectives hope the car will provide DNA evidence as to where Fiore was killed.

Jenkins' aunt and two of his closest friends, Dan and Eric, appeared on The Early Show.

Asked to describe her nephew, Linda Jenkins said, "First, let me just say that this past while has been a surreal existence for our entire family and that none of the events fits the Ryan that we knew and dearly loved. We are so devastated, and it's impossible for me to give you full details on 32 years of Ryan's life. He was a cherished member of our family, brought such joy and such happiness, and his witty humor and intelligence was just so outstanding. We're just traumatized that this has happened to our family."

Asked how surprised she and the family was when they heard these brutal charges, "We were immensely shocked. As a matter of fact, we live in waves of disbelief. It's a nightmare for all of us. It's just something we simply cannot accept knowing the Ryan that we all grew up with. And everything that was a part of his life."

Linda Jenkins pointed out that she is convinced Ryan was not on the run from authorities. "I just found this news out, or had it confirmed, I should say. He was not actually on the run. And it's important that people know that the whole time he was in contact with police. He gave them his license number. He told them where he was going. He okayed it. They said it was fine for him to do this. So he was not on the run. He was in touch with lawyers, and there was nothing unspoken about it."

Asked about Jenkins' and Fiore's relationship, Dan said, "I think the relationship was off and on like good and bad. Things were good, it was really good. Like I mean, they were caring. They showed affection for each other. And I think the thing that kind of brought it down was the money situation, where one didn't have enough to pay for a meal one day or one didn't have enough to go out for a meal the next day."

"I thought he was a millionaire, though," Chris Wragge remarked.

"Jasmine had high expectations. I didn't know Jasmine that well. So my relationship with her and my view on her was kind of through what Ryan had told me prior on the phone and when I met with him. But it just kind of seemed like her expectations were really high and he wouldn't be able to satisfy them all the time," Eric said.

Asked if they ever saw the couple arguing, Dan said, "I've seen it, yeah, in person. I mean, it was, honestly, the only time I had ever seen them fight, it was a money situation or the credit card got declined at dinner. You know, it kind of makes you feel like something."

"Linda, I know you're speaking on behalf of the family. There were reports that Ryan's sister Elena did check him into the hotel. Was that the case, in fact?" Wragge asked.

"I'm not going to say anything about that. As a matter of fact, I want everybody to leave my niece alone. She's just a young, innocent, lovely woman, and she's devastated. She's suffering in agony at the loss of her brother. So I'm not going to speak about that at all," Linda Jenkins said.

"And just one last question for you. I know the family said he was not on the run. With this apparent suicide, it just doesn't seem to mesh. If he was in contact with the law enforcement agencies and his attorneys, why would he then ultimately take his life? Do you have any idea?" Wragge asked.

"I really think, in my opinion, that, when Ryan was in the hotel room, he was actually told to wait until Monday. He would go in with his lawyer to the authorities, and they would go through the setting bail," Linda Jenkins said. "But when he was by himself in that hotel room, I think it was the first contact he actually had with the media, with the television, to see the horror, the pictures, the things that were being said about him, and I think he was terrified beyond belief, and it just seemed to push him over the edge. That he was never going to be able to walk away or prove his innocence with the smear of what was going on about him. It was just so terribly unfair."

Watch the full interview with Ryan Jenkins' aunt and friends: