Francis Rule, 96-Years-Old, Falls off Fire Escape to Death

Francis Rule this morning fell from one of these fire escapes

​The medical examiner's office has identified the San Franciscan who fell to her death in the wee hours this morning: It is Francis Rule, who was 96 years old.

There is still an "active investigation" as to why the nonagenarian plunged off a fire escape at 4740  Balboa near La Playa in the far west of the city. The fall purportedly took place during this morning's foul wind and rain storm at around 3 a.m.

The San Francisco police are checking into their involvement in responding to and investigating Rule's death. The San Francisco Fire Department is doing the same.

Update, 4:50 p.m.: Police spokeswoman Lieutenant Lyn Tomioka says there "is no sign of criminal activity" in Rule's death. It is "a medical examiner case." Police responded to the scene at 3:17 a.m. It is currently which floor Rule fell from. The 96-year-old was described as "mentally sharp" in the police report; it is unknown why she was apparently on the fire escape in the wee hours.

Update, 5:05: The fire department was dispatched at 3:18 a.m. to 4740 Balboa. The call was subsequently turned over to the medical examiner.


View Larger Map

H/T   |   Richmond Blog, SFist

Follow us on Twitter at @TheSnitchSF and @SFWeekly