Amber Bently, Found dead in her luxury apartment in Nevada

Nevada authorities are investigating the death of a San Francisco philanthropist and businesswoman whose body was found in an apartment building near Carson City.

The body of Amber Marie Bently, 34, was discovered by a process server delivering an eviction notice July 19 at an apartment in the town of Gardnerville, about 16 miles south of Carson City, authorities said.

Sgt. Pat Brooks of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office said an autopsy showed there was no evidence of criminal activity, foul play or suicide, and that toxicology results should be completed in six to eight weeks. Bently had apparently been dead for several weeks, he said.

Bently was the estranged wife of San Francisco businessman Christopher Bently, chief executive officer of Bently Holdings, a San Francisco property management company that focuses on sustainable building practices. 

It is one of five companies under the Bently Enterprises umbrella, which include Bently Biofuels and Romadyn.

His father was Donald Bently, a pioneering inventor in the field of instruments that measure the mechanical condition of rotating machinery.

The couple, who lived in a penthouse on Nob Hill and had a home at Stinson Beach, separated last year.

The pair arrived on the philanthropic scene in the mid-2000s. As devotees of the Burning Man festival, they were known for wearing eccentric fashions, but also were known for their commitment to environmental organizations such as the Point Reyes Bird Observatory and Global Green's "Gorgeous & Green" galas.

They also operated a short-lived luxury spa, Kamalaspa, on Union Square.

Amber Marie Bently designed and made sustainable jewelry, and she favored eye-catching, boundary-pushing attire on gala nights, most notably an LED-enhanced light-up dress by Fiuka that she wore to the San Francisco Opera Gala in 2010.

After she and her husband separated, Amber Marie Bently lived briefly in Sausalito. In April she moved to Gardnerville, where she had grown up, to live in apparent solitude.

Christopher Bently, reached while traveling in London, declined to specify the nature of their break-up, but said they had not officially divorced.

"She was quite a wonderful human being who contributed so much to San Francisco," he said. "She was greatly loved by friends and family, and we feel her loss deeply and terribly."