South Korean actress Choi found dead

SEOUL, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Popular South Korean actress Choi Jin-sil was found dead in her home in southern Seoul of an apparent suicide, police said Thursday.

The 40-year-old TV and movie star was discovered by her mother with an elastic band around her neck, tied to a shower stall in her home, The Seoul Times quoted officers at the Seocho Police Station as saying.

"Given the results of an examination that spotted no trace of physical trauma on her body, we came to the conclusion that it is a suicide," Yang Jae-ho, a criminal investigations officer, told reporters.

Yang said no suicide note has been found but Choi sent two text messages shortly before her death asking her makeup assistant to look after her two children.

Choi was previously married to professional baseball player Cho Sung-min but that relationship ended in a bitter divorce in 2004. The actress reportedly had since been treated for depression.