Tragic revelation after news anchor, 27, found dead: 'I didn't know'
Heartbreaking tributes are pouring in for a vibrant young TV host who was found dead just weeks before her dream wedding.
Neena Pacholke, 27, recently celebrated her five-year anniversary as the news anchor of Wake Up Wisconsin, a morning show in the US.
On Saturday morning (local time), police found her body at a home in Wausau, Wisconsin, while conducting a welfare check for a woman who was reportedly making “suicidal statements”, police told media.
Her death is not being treated as suspicious.
'I didn't know she was in so much pain'
Ms Pacholke’s sister told US morning show TODAY that she had no idea that her sister was struggling.
"She was the happiest person, I thought," Kaitlynn Pacholke said.
"And I think that’s what makes it so hard, because I didn’t know she was in so much pain."
The devastated sibling said her sister had the ability to make anyone feel "incredible".
"If you knew her your whole life or if you knew her for five minutes, she made you feel special.
"She was my younger sister, but I looked up to her."
Ms Pacholke's co-anchor Brendan Mackey penned a heartfelt tribute to his colleague, who he described as "the brightest light in the room".
"I have never met anyone in my entire life that is more loved than this girl," he wrote.
"Everyday she made people smile, whether that was through a tv screen or just being an incredible friend. She was so happy and so full of life and a role model.
"I can’t believe it. I am still in shock. It hasn’t hit me yet. We all love you so much Neena.
"I am going to miss you so much."
In Ms Pacholke’s last post to Twitter, she retweeted a quote that in part read: "We are not positive because life is easy. We are positive because life can be hard."
She was due to be married in October.
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In 2013, Ms Pacholke’s first love, Jordan Harris, died after a battle with brain cancer.
In a video from 2016 that has resurfaced since her death, the TV host told of how she was by his side as he took his last breath.
"I just remember sitting there, all of us around him. I remember holding his hand as he passed away. I knew it was going to be hard, but I always told him I’d be there through it all," she said.
She said she would often visit his grave and talk to him "as if he is sitting right there next to me".
Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.
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