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Boyfriend Questioned In Fashion Designer's Soho House Death
By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 10, 2010
Modified Dec 10, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 10, 2010
Modified Dec 10, 2010
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Early yesterday morning, a swimsuit designer was found unconscious—and partially clothed—floating in a bathtub at the Soho House after a guest complained about water leaking from the ceiling. Sylvie Cachay, 33, was pronounced dead at the Meatpacking club and boutique hotel at 3:34 a.m. and her boyfriend, Nicholas Brooks, who left her room at 2 a.m. and returned at 3:30 a.m., was taken into questioning at the 8th Precinct. The medical examiner's office is investigating the cause of death, but the Post reports that there were "wounds on her neck that suggested strangulation, bleeding in her eyes and a bite mark on her hand." And a neighbor of Cachay's claims the couple had a blowout fight hours earlier.
A fourth floor guest had complained about the leak, so the hotel's night manager checked the room above, which is where Cachay was staying. According to the NY Times, "When workers entered Room 20, nothing was immediately amiss: Things were not in disarray, and the only noise seemed to come from the water that had been left running. Then the workers saw the cream-colored, egg-shaped bathtub, situated next to the bed. They found the fashion designer, Sylvie Cachay, unconscious, clad only in a black shirt and underwear, submerged and face up in the tub as the water flowed over its top."
They removed her from the tub and one person performed CPR while 911 was called, but EMTs pronounced her dead. Brooks allegedly said he left the room when Cachay was alive to get some food, while another source says Brooks' story was that he was meeting someone he befriended in the lobby. A bottle of Xanax was found in the room. The Soho House says it is cooperating with the investigation.
The couple had a tumultuous relationship: Cachay' publicist told the Daily News that the designer wrote an email about Brooks' erratic behavior, "The topic was her boyfriend, and it was not positive. He has a lot of issues, is all I can say. I don't think it was a healthy relationship... I just think he's unstable from what she's told me." And the Post reports:
Although the couple was seen palling around on Wednesday, a neighbor said they fought constantly and had a huge blowout in Cachay's West Village pad hours before she died.
"I heard them fighting and he yelled, 'You really hurt me,' " said Judy, who lives directly below Cachay's apartment.
Judy, who declined to give her last name, was twice interviewed by detectives.
The scrum lasted about a half-hour, until 12:15 a.m., she said.
"I heard her crying and him stomping around. Then I heard a loud crash in her apartment like someone was thrown on the floor. A few minutes later, I could hear her whimpering," Judy added.
"It was very disturbing. It was a lot of anger."
The couple then went to the Soho House, which is at Ninth Avenue and 13th Street; Cachay told a hotel staffer that Brooks set a fire in her West 10th apartment, by leaving candles lit near her bed, "He's a stoner. He's always stoned. Who puts candles behind the bed?" Also: "Brooks told a hotel worker that during the apartment blaze, he came out of the bathroom to find Cachay's hair and the bed on fire, sources said. The couple put out the blaze, but wanted to stay somewhere else because of the smoky smell."
Brooks is described as a partier. His father, Joseph Brooks, is an Oscar-winning songwriter who was indicted on dozens of assault and rape charges earlier this year.
Tagged
bathtub
death
meatpacking district
nicholas brooks
soho house
Sylvie cachay
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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