Police are investigating the death of a high-profile swimsuit designer who grew up in Northern Virginia.
Sylvie Cachay was a rising star whose work appeared in such upscale magazines as Vogue. Investigators discovered her partially clothed body in a full bathtub at about 3 a.m. Thursday in a New York City hotel room.
Police sources tell the Associated Press that she had bruises on her neck and a bite mark on her hand.
Police arrested Cachay's boyfriend, 26-year-old Nicholas Brooks, and charged him with attempted murder and strangulation after the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.
A housekeeper at the SoHo House hotel in New York City reportedly heard Cachay and her boyfriend arguing. A little while later, a housekeeper on another floor saw water dripping from the ceiling.
Brooks is the son of Oscar-winning songwriter Joseph Brooks, who wrote the hit tune, "You Light Up My Life."
Cachay’s death has rocked the fashion world and brought sadness to friends and family in the Washington area. The 33-year-old had dual citizenship and split her time between Peru and McLean, Va. She attended design school in Paris and earned a degree from Marymount University in Arlington, Va.
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Cachay's resume includes stints with Anne Cole and Victoria's Secret. She also started her own line of swimwear called Sylva.
The daughter of an artist, Cachay said on her website that she was first inspired by watching her mother work in her studio.
