"An employee at a Foxconn factory that makes iPhones in China killed himself after a prototype went missing. The worker, Sun Danyong, 25, was a recent graduate in engineering. Foxconn is a Taiwanese firm that makes many Apple products at a massive factory in the southern city of Shenzhen, near Hong Kong.

The Southern Metropolis Daily newspaper said Sun -- responsible for sending iPhone prototypes to Apple -- noticed he was missing one of the 16 units he received on July 9. He reported the missing phone on July 13 and his apartment was searched by Foxconn employees, the Chinese-language report said.

Sun jumped to his death from the 12th floor of his apartment building July 16. "We are saddened by the tragic loss of this young employee, and we are awaiting results of the investigations into his death," said Jill Tan, an Apple spokeswoman in Hong Kong. "We require our suppliers to treat all workers with dignity and respect."