An inquest has heard that a Channel 4 employee was discovered deceased in the sea, over 100 miles from her residence.
Lolita Visa, a 32-year-old television librarian, was recovered from the waters off the coast of Llandudno in North Wales on 26 August. The inquest revealed that she had travelled from her home in Halifax, West Yorkshire, to visit her father in Manchester.
Travel Details Prior to Tragic Discovery
Following her visit to Manchester, Ms. Visa proceeded to Liverpool, from where she sent a photograph to her father. Subsequently, she dispatched another image to him from Llandudno on 22 August.
Her family, growing increasingly concerned, reported her as a missing person to West Yorkshire Police. Three days later, North Wales Police were contacted, and on the following day, a member of the public alerted HM Coastguard to the sighting of a body in the water off the resort town's coast.
Coroner John Gittins informed the hearing: "The deceased was brought aboard the lifeboat and transported to lifeboat station." A post-mortem examination determined that the injuries observed were "consistent with time submerged in water." The inquest proceedings have since been adjourned to an unspecified future date.
Family's Heartbreak and Fundraising Efforts
According to her LinkedIn profile, Ms. Visa held the position of Digital Media Librarian for Channel 4, having previously been employed by the streaming service Dazn.
In the wake of her passing, her family has initiated a fundraising campaign to assist with the substantial costs of her funeral and to facilitate the repatriation of her body to Latvia, her country of origin.
Writing on the fundraising page, her relative Wiktoria Januszewska expressed the family's profound sorrow, stating that Ms. Visa's death had left them "heartbroken."
"Her loss has left all of us heartbroken, and we are faced with the difficult task of arranging her funeral. We are asking to help raise funds to be able to give her the send off she deserves, and help to cover any expenses that come with covering getting her to Latvia, as that where she is from and we want her to be at home. We were never prepared, or expected, for this to take place, and we are not in a financial place to be able to cover everything by ourselves."
Wiktoria fondly described Ms. Visa as "bubbly and a joy to be around," further adding that she "had stories for days to share about her travels and where she has been."
She concluded her appeal by stating: "If you knew Lolita, we hope you remember her for the person that she was and keep her memories close to you. Any donations will help, and if you’re unable to donate, simply sharing her story so it reaches more people will help us. On behalf of the family, we thank you."