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Woman who fell to death ID'd as Maurine Arogie

WHALLEY - The man arrested in connection with the "suspicious" death of 19-year-old Maurine Arogie, who fell from the 26th floor of a Whalley apartment in the 13000-block of 100th Avenue on New Year's Day, has been released.

IHIT spokesman Sgt. Adam MacIntosh said the Surrey woman fell at about 1 a.m. Wednesday. Two RCMP officers in the area on an unrelated matter witnessed the fall. A 23-year-old man, with whom police say she was in a relationship, was arrested at the scene. Police said Thursday that the man had been released.MacIntosh said police were initially called to the scene in response to a possible domestic disturbance.Mounties have visited the residence in the past for other domestic disturbance calls.MacIntosh said the 23-year-old suspect has a criminal record made up of relatively minor offences.The deceased is described as an African-Canadian woman. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team continues to work on the investigation."Our goal right now is to try and determine from him what were the circumstances that led to her falling to her death and if the circumstances were criminal in nature," MacIntosh said Wednesday, before the man was released.Surrey had a record-high 25 murders in 2013, including the death of hockeymom Julie Paskall, 53, who died Tuesday of injuries suffered during a brutal attack outside a hockey arena in Newton.The New Year's Day fatality could end up being Surrey's first homicide of 2014.Anyone with information relating to either of these cases is asked to contact IHIT at 1-877-551-4448 or ihittipline@rcmp-grc. gc.ca. Anonymous tips can also be made through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.