Murder arrests after aspiring actress falls from the 19th floor of a London skyscraper

Bethany-Maria Beales. Photo / City of London Police

A murder investigation has been launched after an aspiring singer and actress plunged to her death from one of London's tallest buildings.

Bethany-Maria Beales, 22, was killed after falling 13 floors from the 36-storey Heron building in the City on Sunday, just hours after a night out with friends in the West End.

Over the following two days a man and a woman, both aged 38, were arrested by City of London police on suspicion of murder and later released on bail.

Detectives are continuing to treat the death as suspicious, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Beales' body was found with "significant injuries consistent with a fall from a height" on the glass ceiling of a communal terrace on the sixth floor of the building in Moor Lane, near the Barbican.

She was today described by her family as "an amazing talent" who changed the lives of all who met her.

Mystery surrounds the circumstances of Beales' death, including what she was doing in The Heron building, which houses luxury apartments, a penthouse with balcony costing £10 million ($19m) and a private club. The building also has a private garden for residents.

Detectives are understood to be investigating whether she had been at a party at the building.

Shortly before her death Beales, who last summer graduated in drama from the University of Roehampton, wrote on Facebook how excited she had been to spot the acclaimed Canadian electro-rapper The Weeknd at The Box nightclub, in Soho, that night.

Just before 2am local time, she wrote: "The Weeknd has just walked past me and touched my back to move past. I am hyperventilating and I think I am about to have his child."

The nightclub is popular with celebrities, including Prince Harry, Keira Knightley, Lady Gaga and Rihanna.

Life will be so boring without your sparkle

Mia Lily Battle-Welch

Beales, originally from St Helens, Lancashire, was a keen actor and singer, having performed in youth theatre productions from an early age, including appearing in Les Miserables at Runcorn's Brindley Theatre. In her online CV she described herself as "versatile and adaptable" performer.

Her mother Michelle and other family members said Beales was "a kind, funny, loyal, intelligent, talented and stunningly beautiful person who changed the lives of everyone fortunate enough to know her and lucky enough to be loved by her. She was more than a daughter, granddaughter, niece, cousin, stepsister, step-aunty, god-daughter or friend. She was the world to us all."

They added: "She had the brightest smile and the most beautiful singing voice. She was our songbird. She had an amazing talent that, if it had been seen by the world, would have become known to millions. Our world will never be as bright again now that our shining star has gone."

Friends of Beales, who lived in southwest London and was working as a sales executive for a Soho bar at the time of her death, joined the tributes, describing her as "kind hearted", "funny" and "intelligent".

Mia Lily Battle-Welch wrote on Facebook: "You were my friend on and off stage. You were beautiful. You were insanely talented. Life will be so boring without your sparkle."

Elizabeth Minto Das said: "You were the most beautiful and wonderful soul I ever had the pleasure of knowing, I can't believe I won't have you in my life anymore."