ULAN-UDE, March 18 (RIA Novosti) - Investigators said Monday they were looking into a mysterious death of a beauty pageant winner in a Siberian region.
Viktoria Lygdenova, 22, was found dead in her apartment in the regional capital of the Buryatia republic on Friday, just weeks after her mother’s death.
Lygdenova gained fame in the region at the age of 16, when she won the Beauty of Buryatia title in 2008 and took third place at the national contest, Russian Beauty, a year later.
Investigators told RIA Novosti on Monday they suspected Lygdenova had died from an “illness,” but they were checking out other possibilities. They did not elaborate.
Forensic experts had not been able to determine the cause of death as of Monday, and blood samples have been sent for further examination, investigators added.
The woman moved in with her father and sister about a month ago following her mother’s death.
On Friday, her father called the apartment from his work around 11 a.m. but no one answered. He rushed home, where he found her already dead, the Investigative Committee said in a statement.
Lygdenova was alone at the moment of her death and no signs of violence or struggle were found at the scene, the statement said.
Lygdenova’s friends in social networks have speculated that the beauty queen suffered cardiovascular health problems, which could have worsened with the stress over her mother’s death.
