What Was Wisconsin Morning News Anchor Neena Pacholke's Death Reason?

Neena Pacholke, a Wisconsin morning news anchor and former college basketball player died on Saturday aged age 27. News of WAOW anchor Neena Pacholke’s death left her family and colleagues stunned, and she was remembered for her contagious smile and happy-go-lucky demeanor.

Pacholke, who grew up in Tampa and played basketball for the University of South Florida, was engaged to be married at the time of her death, her sister Kaitlynn Pacholke said.

Neena Pacholke Death Reason

Kaitlynn later noted in an Instagram post that her sibling took her own life.

"My sister was by far the happiest person I thought I knew," Kaitlynn said. "Sometimes you just don't know what people are going through, no matter how much you think you know someone.

"My sister had access to every resource you could imagine. She was loved by everybody. She was so good at her job."

A spokesperson for the Wausau Police Department told media that officers were dispatched to a home on Wausau's southeast side Saturday morning to check the welfare of a woman who reportedly made suicidal statements. "After receiving no answer at the door, officers entered the home and found Pacholke deceased," ENews reports.

According to the police department, foul play is not suspected and the case remains under investigation.

One of Neena’s last posts on Twitter was a retweet from author Jon Gordon about positivity and believing the best is yet to come. “We are not positive because life is easy. We are positive because life can be hard,” Gordon wrote in the original tweet. “Give yourself (and others) grace. Speak life and encourage others. Look for the good today. Remember your WHY. Believe the best is yet to come.”

According to her website, Pacholke began working for the news organisation in May 2017 as a multimedia journalist before being elevated to anchor in February 2019. She earned a degree from the University of South Florida, where she played point guard for three seasons and earned letters. The USF women's basketball team's head coach, Jose Fernandez, described the group as "devastated" by Neena's passing.

Her co-anchor Brendan Mackey said Neena was “the brightest light in the room” with the “biggest smile and the funniest laugh.”

“I have never met anyone in my entire life that is more loved than this girl,” Mackey wrote in a tribute post on Facebook. “Every day 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.”

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