Reaching an audience of over 1.2 million followers on Instagram, Maja Janeska, an influential figure in the world of beauty and online content creation, was discovered dead under unsettling circumstances.
On December 2, 39-year-old Janeska was found at her upscale residence in Bassonia Estate, Johannesburg, South Africa, with a fatal gunshot wound to her head.
Lt. Col. Mavela Masondo, a police spokesperson, stated, “Upon arrival at the address given, police found a woman in the bedroom with a gunshot wound on the head.”
“There was a firearm next to her. The woman was certified dead by the paramedics,” Lt. Col. Masondo added.
The well-known makeup artist and online personality, known to her followers as “Maya Mia,” was reportedly in a relationship with Kyle Phillips, co-director of Carnilinx, a Johannesburg-based tobacco manufacturer.
Phillips recounted hearing the gunshot from the bathroom, where he was brushing his teeth.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the influencer’s tragic death.
Meanwhile, Phillips has informed local media that he is arranging for an independent autopsy to be conducted.
A member of the family divulged to South African media outlet News24 that Janeska had, at times, expressed fears for her safety and voiced concerns about the possibility of being harmed.
“We are in Europe, and our hands are tied because we can’t come to South Africa because of visa issues,” the family member conveyed. “Our phones haven’t stopped ringing — this is all new to us. She is lying in some mortuary, and we don’t have any clue as to what is actually happening.”
The relative further disclosed that they were notified of her death by a former associate of Phillips, who purportedly suggested that suicide was the current suspected cause.
“She sometimes feared for her life,” the anonymous relative disclosed. “Her boyfriend had men working for him, and she feared them also.”
It’s been reported that Phillips has “surrounded himself with bodyguards” and declined examination by state pathologists at the scene.
In her final Instagram post on November 22, Janeska was pictured with Bujar Osmani, North Macedonia’s minister of foreign affairs.
She mentioned that the meeting was aimed at “establishing diplomatic relations between my country Republic of North Macedonia and my second home the Republic of South Africa.”
