Neena Pacholke’s tragic death touched many people across the country, and now more details have emerged regarding her untimely passing.
No one realized just how much Pacholke suffered before she died…
Scroll down for the full story.
News of Neena Pacholke’s death left her family, friends, and colleagues stunned.
She was remembered for her beautiful smile and the joyful demeanor she had every day.
WAOW released a statement that said: “Neena Pacholke, our beloved morning anchor passed away suddenly Saturday.
“The entire team here at News 9 are absolutely devastated by the loss as we know so many others are as well.”
Pacholke grew up in Tampa and played basketball for the University of South Florida.
She was engaged to be married at the time of her death, her older sister Kaitlynn Pacholke told the Tampa Bay Times.
“She was just like a little ball of sunshine, and her smile was massive.
“My sister was by far the happiest person I thought I knew,” Kaitlynn said.
And she wasn’t wrong.
Pacholke’s followers on social media thought the same way as well.
In fact, one of Pacholke’s last posts on Twitter was about positivity and believing the best is yet to come.
The tweet was a retweet by author Jon Gordan and it looked like Pacholke was trying to convey a positive message to her followers.
“We are not positive because life is easy. We are positive because life can be hard,” the original tweet wrote.
“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.”
Pacholke’s co-anchor, Brendan Mackey, also had a few words of kindness to say…
“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.
“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,” he wrote in a tribute post.
Pacholke joined the news station as a small journalist back in May 2017.
It was only 2 years later that she was promoted to be the news anchor for News 9.
Pacholke’s family is now raising money on GoFundMe, with any additional money going towards mental health resources.
Pacholke’s sister Kaitlynn shared a heartbreaking tribute…
“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 said.
While Kaitlynn confirmed her sister’s passing, police were called to her home at 11 am on Saturday morning.
“I know she’s not in pain anymore and I am thankful for that.
‘Neena- I love you more than you could ever understand. You were my very best friend. My whole world. I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you,” Kaitlynn wrote.
According to Daily Mail, Pacholke took her own life just 6 weeks before her own wedding.
And now, reports suggest the news anchor “endured tragedy” before her death.
It’s truly heartbreaking…
The New York Post reports that Pacholke and the first love of her life, Jordan Harris, met in their first year of high school…
They reportedly met in a biology class and had been friends before dating.
Harris was diagnosed with primitive neuroectodermal tumors in 2011…
And after 2 separate battles with the disease, he sadly passed before he and Pacholke began their freshman year at university.
In an interview shared by Moffitt Cancer Center, Pacholke spoke about losing the love of her life.
“I just remember sitting there, all of us around him. I remember holding his hand as he passed away,” the late news anchor recalled.
“I knew it was going to be hard but I always told him I’d be there through it all,” she added.
But Pacholke hoped for more significant funding for childhood cancer treatments as she wrote a blog post dedicated to him titled: Kids Get Cancer Too.
“It has been thirteen months and eighteen days since the love of my life gained his angel wings from a rare form of brain cancer,” she said.
“He is the main reason behind my blog topic and will continue to be the driving force behind everything that I do in life,” she continued.
And after losing Harris to rare brain cancer back in 2016, Pacholke started fundraising and even went on to aid cancer research.
In an interview with The Oracle student newspaper, she revealed: “You still have your bad days, but in the end, they say everything happens for a reason.”
“Part of me questions that, but it will still make you a stronger person. It sucks you don’t have that person to text all day, but I still have his morals to carry with me,” she concluded.
It has now been alleged that Neena took her own life after her fiancé called off their engagement.
According to the Daily Mail the news anchor was 7 weeks out from marrying Kyle Haase. However, friends of Neena told the publication that things weren’t so harmonious for the couple.
There was alleged infidelity and arguing.
“They were always arguing, and it seemed like Neena was more in love with Kyle that he was with her,” a friend told Daily Mail. They also claimed she found women’s underwear in their home that didn’t belong to her.
It then ended in tragedy.
Hasse’s decision to break off the engagement and end their relationship drove the news anchor to tragedy, taking her life on August 27.
Rest in Peace, Neena Pacholke.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please visit www.988lifeline.org for free confidential help from skilled counselors.