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'A little ball of sunshine': News 9 team in shock after anchor Neena Pacholke, 27, reportedly kills herself

Giving a hint about her mental health issues, Neena’s older sister Kaitlynn asserted 'Sometimes you just don’t know what people are going through'

WAUSAU, WISCONSIN: A news anchor from Wausau, Wisconsin died on Saturday, August 27. She was 27. The news anchor of News 9 named Neena Pacholke reportedly had mental health issues and she might have died of suicide. The cause of her death is yet to be confirmed. The unfortunate news of her demise was shared by the news channel in an official statement.
 
The statement read, “The entire team here at News 9 are absolutely devastated by the loss as we know so many others are as well.” The statement further said, “Neena loved this community and the people who lived here. She was a kind person with a big heart and a contagious smile and we will miss her greatly.” According to Tampa Bay Times, Neena is survived by her mother, sister, fiance, and father, Aaron. Neena Pacholke joined the news station as a multimedia journalist in May 2017. She graduated from the University of South Florida and was a former USF, Freedom High women’s basketball player.
 
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‘She was just like a little ball of sunshine’

Neena Pacholke was promoted to anchor in February 2019. Speaking about her life and personality, Neena’s older sister Kaitlynn Pacholke told Tampa Bay Times on Monday, August 29, “She was just like a little ball of sunshine, and her smile was massive” adding, “My sister was by far the happiest person I thought I knew.”
 
Giving a hint about her mental health issues, Kaitlynn asserted, “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.”

Neena Pacholke was born on June 29, 1995. She, like her mother and sister, played basketball in school. Neena eventually chose journalism as her career. She first worked as a reporter and anchor for PBS-Florida WUSF's Focus. She also interned at 95.5 WPLJ before her senior year at the University of South Florida. One of the last tweets of Neena was a retweet of author Jon Gordon speaking about positivity and believing the best is yet to come. The post read, “We are not positive because life is easy. We are positive because life can be hard. 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.”

‘You never know the battles people face privately’

A few of her colleagues and those who knew Neena Pacholke personally poured in their tributes on Twitter. “We are devastated on the loss of former @USFWBB player Neena Pacholke. Our prayers are with the Pacholke family during this extremely difficult time. Please keep them in your thoughts”, said one user as another shared, “Former @USFWBB player Neena Pacholke died on Saturday. My thoughts are with her family. Before I started covering #USF I had a class with Neena. As a fan, it was my first 'oh wow, there’s an athlete in my class' moment.”
 
The next one posted, “Just read that America news presenter Neena Pacholke took her own life on the weekend. you never know the battles people face privately.” Whereas, another mentioned, “My deepest condolences to the family and true friends of news anchor Neena Pacholke. If you are reading these words and are thinking about ending your life, please call 988 or the National Suicide Hotline at: (855) 673-4357. You can even DM me. #SuicidePrevention”

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