Poker Star Likely Electrocuted in Bath: Reports

Russia's Lilya Novikova was big on the Twitch streaming platform
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 13, 2019 11:05 AM CDT
Poker, Twitch Star Found Dead in Bath
Stock photo.   (Getty Images/parinyatk)

A young poker star is dead in Russia, apparently after accidentally electrocuting herself while using a hair dryer in the bathtub. Local media report the body of Lilya Novikova was found by an elderly neighbor in the bathroom of her family's Moscow apartment days before her 27th birthday after her parents tried for hours to reach her, per the Independent. Russia's Investigative Committee says signs point to an accidental electrocution. The BBC reports Novikova, found in the bath, had been using a hair dryer.

Known as "Liay5" to followers on streaming platform Twitch, Novikova was seen playing two hands of internet poker at once during a Monday stream. She also made videos offering poker tips. "This was a tragic waste of a young and talented member of the poker community," reads a post on PokerStrategy.com, which counted Novikova among its members. She was a former Team PokerStars Pro, according to the outlet, as well as a graduate of the prestigious Bauman University, where she received an engineering degree. (More poker stories.)

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