Hurd's daughter-in-law falls to death in New York

The daughter-in-law of the former foreign secretary Douglas Hurd has plunged to her death from the roof of her apartment in New York.

Catherine Hurd, who was married to Lord Hurd's diplomat son, Thomas, was found in the early hours of Saturday lying in the street. She was reportedly due to return to the UK in a week's time.

A spokeswoman for the New York Police Department said they were called to an unconscious woman on 445 East 84th Street at 4.30am on 21 May. "Police found a 46-year-old female unresponsive and with severe trauma," she said. "She was transported to the hospital where she was pronounced dead."

Police confirmed that they are treating the incident as suicide, although no suicide note has been found. "At this point there is no criminality suspected," the spokeswoman said.

Catherine's husband, Thomas Hurd, is an expert on the Middle East and a diplomat attached to the UN Security Council.

According to the New York Post, neighbours said Catherine Hurd was a happy mother of five.