Vicar's daughter may have jumped to her death to escape bullies

A vicar's daughter who died after falling from a third-floor window may have jumped after being bullied and held against her will by two other girls.

Rosimeiri Boxall, 19, from Thamesmead, south-east London, was found beneath an open window in Blackheath, near Greenwich Park, on Saturday. It is believed Ms Boxall was visiting a friend at the address.

Police initially believed the teenager had been pushed to her death, but are now working on the theory that she jumped. Two girls aged 13 and 17 were arrested over the incident and released on bail on Sunday night.

Ms Boxall's parents and four brothers paid tribute to "a much loved sister and daughter" last night, speaking of "a void in this close-knit family that cannot be filled". A family statement said: "Rosi was adopted but she was our daughter and sister. She was a loving, caring person who brought frequently remembered times of fun and laughter to the family and who was much loved by her three nieces.

"More than just a daughter and a sister, she was also a great friend who will always be missed. We appreciate everything the police are doing in investigating this tragic incident."

The woman's father, the Rev Simon Boxall, said he had no idea why she had been at the house where she fell. "I don't know what she was doing there," he said. "She was obviously at the wrong place at the wrong time." Officers are now trying to establish what happened inside the room before the fall and have recovered mobile phones which may have been used to photograph Miss Boxall, sources said. Neighbours reported hearing a "very loud and extreme" argument moments before she fell.

The teenager – who was adopted by Mr Boxall, the vicar at the Open Gateway Community Church in Thamesmead, when he was working in Rio de Janiero – was taken by ambulance to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich after the fall. The Metropolitan Police said she was pronounced dead at the hospital. A post-mortem examination found that she died of internal injuries.

A neighbour in Coleraine Road, where the incident took place, said there had been a number of people shouting. "It was very loud, a real racket, and sounded very extreme, so I thought I should call the police. I heard a bloke shouting outside, incredibly loudly. He was saying something like: 'Don't touch her, leave her alone.' It sounded like two blokes and a girl all shouting at each other. I thought one bloke was standing up for the girl. Then there was an almighty crashing sound, like metal on concrete."

Other neighbours described the property as a "halfway house" in which young inhabitants often sat on window ledges playing loud music and drinking alcohol. The house was being cleared by police yesterday and the property's rubbish bins, said to contain empty vodka and whisky bottles, were being emptied.

Detective Inspector Bob Meade, who is leading the investigation, said police were treating the death of Ms Boxall as suspicious. "Her family are distraught. Rosimeiri was a young girl," he said. "I understand there were people outside shortly before this took place and I would encourage them, and anyone else who was in the area at the time, to provide any information they can."

One witness said the argument that was taking place before Ms Boxall fell carried on afterwards as an ambulance and about "30-odd" police officers converged on the scene.