Foxconn, the company that builds iPhones for Apple, paid US$44,000 to the family of Sun Danyong following his apparent suicide, and gave his girl friend an Apple laptop, according to the New York Times. Mr. Danyong had been accused of stealing an iPhone prototype and jumped from his apartment window after Foxconn security employees questioned him.

While the money and computer could be seen as a payoff, Foxconn isn't admitting any fault in the employee's death. Gu Qinming, the security employee that questioned Mr. Danyong and was accused of beating him up, however, was suspended pending an investigation.

The security employee insisted he didn't beat up Mr. Danyong. Instead, he claimed he merely grabbed Mr. Danyong's shoulder after becoming "a little angry."

According to Foxconn's general manager of China operations, James Lee, this wasn't the first time a missing product involved Mr. Danyong. "Several times he had some products missing, then he got them back. We don't know who took the product, but it was at his stop," he said.

He also insisted that the company treats its employees well. That claim, however, seemed a little difficult to backup last week as Mr. Danyong's family dealt with his death and a reporter talking with the family was threatened by a security guard and two men wearing Foxconn shirts. In that incident, the security guard threatened to beat up the journalist's translator if she continued to ask Mr. Danyong's family questions.

Local police are still investigating Mr. Danyong's death along with Gu Quinming's potential involvement.