UPDATE 2: I was mistaken, it was not a next-gen (iPhone 4G) model, it was a missing iPhone 3G S model.

UPDATE 1: Apple has released a statement and confirmed the incident:

“We are saddened by the tragic loss of this young employee and we are awaiting results of the investigations into his death,” Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet told CNET on Tuesday. “We require our suppliers to treat all workers with dignity and respect.”

On Thursday, July 9th, Sun got 16 prototype phones from the assembly line at a local Foxconn factory. At some point in the next few days, he discovered that one of the phones was missing. He suspected that it had been left at the factory, but couldn’t find it.

On Monday, July 13, he reported the missing phone to his boss. Then, that Wednesday, three Foxconn employees searched his apartment — illegally, according to Chinese law. Accusations are flying that Sun was detained and physically abused during the investigation, although this has not been substantiated (possible evidence: there’s this somewhat garbled and potentially faked instant message exchange from Sun shortly before his death).

What is known: On Thursday (a little after 3 a.m. according to surveillance videos in the apartment building) he jumped out of a window in his apartment building to his death

I am disguisted and saddened over this incident, all over an iPhone 3G S prototype. Look, it seems that a Foxconn cares more about what their big boss Apple than human life. I hope Foxconn goes bankrupt.

Apple should drop them immediately. There is no reason for this to happen over a simple iPhone prototype. This will most likely result in a huge lawsuit against Foxconn.

Apple is in no way responsible for this, as they just cannot be held responsible for a different company’s brutal and unjustified actions.

Our condolences go out to his friends and family.