A 48-year-old social media celebrity, Jagee John, was found dead in mysterious circumstances at her house in Kuravankonam here on Monday.
Assistant Commissioner, Cantonment, Sheen Tharayil, said the police had opened an investigation into what he described as an ‘unnatural death.’
Jagee had achieved a measure of popularity on social media for her viral videos on fashion, exercise, lifestyle, cooking and Zumba dance.
She also hosted cookery shows on television channels regularly. Jagee had a huge fan following on Facebook where her fans regarded her as a powerful influencer.
The police said a ‘woman doctor friend’ of hers had found Jagee ‘lying motionless face-up’ in her kitchen in the afternoon and alerted the police.
At the time of her death, she was wearing a cosmetic ‘face-pack.’ There were no apparent signs of struggle or violence in the room.
According to the police, a friend of Jagee in Kochi had tried her on the mobile phone repeatedly in vain. When he did not get through to her, he reportedly asked the ‘common doctor friend’ to check out on Jagee’s status.
With mother
Jagee lived in the house with her mother. They interacted little with neighbours.
Investigators said Jagee’s aged and ailing mother was in the house but appeared to have no clue that her daughter was dead.
Crime scene and forensic experts swarmed the house in the evening.
The well-appointed pantry in which Jagee recorded most of her cookery shows had turned into an active crime scene.
She specialised in Western cooking and baking.
The police said they were yet to establish the cause of her death. Jagee was a fitness buff apparently in the peak of her physical fitness.
She was a near-permanent fixture at the neighbourhood gymnasium and had a sizeable friendship circle.
An investigator said her social media posts or comments did not indicate any mental depression or suicidal tendency.
But, she had enigmatically written that ‘anything can happen to anybody any day’ while urging her followers to contribute to charity this Christmas season.
Cause of death
The police have moved the body to the Government Medical College Hospital for post-mortem examination scheduled to be held on Tuesday.
They said the progress of their investigation hinged on the cause of her death.
Forensic doctors were likely to give the police their preliminary opinion after the autopsy.
