Lilya Novikova, a 26-year-old Russian poker player, was found dead in the bathtub of her apartment by an elderly neighbor, according to BBC. Novikova was found dead on Tuesday, June 11 and now we know exactly how she passed away.
The elderly neighbor who found Novikova was a longtime friend who had a key to her apartment. She checked in on Novikova after her family had become worried when she was not answering any phone calls.
“Relatives became agitated when the girl stopped responding to phone calls and asked her neighbor to check on her. She found the girl’s body,” a law enforcement source told Russian news outlet TASS.
The report claims that Novikova was killed when she dropped her hair dryer into the bath while taking a bath and was electrocuted. It is believed that her death was a freak accident.
From The Independent:
Russian news site MK (Moskovsky Komsomolets) said doctors had given a preliminary cause of death as accidental. Russia’s Investigative Committee, an official government body, said there were signs of electrocution injuries on Ms Novikova’s body. An investigation has been launched but all reports suggest it was a tragic accident.
She was known as Lia on the online poker circuit.
Along with poker, Novikova was interested in rowing, boxing, and archery.
Novikova had studied at Bauman Moscow State Technical University in Moscow with an engineering degree. She had a strong following on Instagram with 17,000 followers. She had also provided online poker tutorial videos to her followers.
In her final post on Instagram, Novikova can be seen sitting outside on a bench with a lengthy caption explaining the most common mistakes poker rookies make.
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByfDRhLosbF/
Our deepest condolences go out to Novikova’s family and friends during this incredibly difficult and tragic time.
