Amie Harwick, a high-profile sex and relationship therapist in Hollywood, plunged to her death during a struggle with her ex-boyfriend, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
Authorities arrested 41-year-old Gareth Pursehouse for murder on Saturday afternoon.
Harwick, once a Playboy model, wrote a book titled The New Sex Bible for Women and appeared as an expert on the subject matter in the documentary Addicted to Sexting. She made headlines when she got engaged to actor and Price Is Right host Drew Carey in 2018.
Officers responded to a call at 1:16 a.m. Saturday of a “woman screaming” and were met on the street by her roommate, who police said "informed officers that the victim was being assaulted inside of her residence."
"The roommate had jumped a wall and went to neighboring residences to call for help," the LAPD said.
The officers found Harwick on the ground beneath a third-floor balcony with injuries that she likely sustained from the fall. She later died in the hospital, the LAPD said.
Police found evidence that the suspect likely forced his way into Harwick’s apartment, that there was a struggle, and that he left the scene afterward.
Detectives had also learned that Harwick had said she was afraid of her ex-boyfriend and that she had filed a restraining order against him, police said. The restraining order had expired and she had seen him two weeks before to the incident.
Pursehouse has been booked on $2 million bail. It was unclear if he had a lawyer.