Mirjana Puhar, a 19-year-old former contestant on "America's Next Top Model," died in what authorities believe was a drug-related triple homicide at a home in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Police arrested Emmanuel Jesus Rangel, 19, and are holding him in the triple homicide and another killing,
according to the Charlotte Observer. The other victims in the triple homicide were identified as Jonathan Cosme Alvarado, 23, and Jusmar Isiah Gonzaga-Garcia, 21.
TMZ reported that Puhar and Alvarado were dating and that Puhar had recently moved in with him.
It was a sad end to the inspiring story of Puhar, whose family that escaped battle-torn Serbia during the Kosovo War and eventually moved Charlotte where she aspired to be model but dropped out of school, according to the Observer.
She attended East Mecklenburg High and Queen's Grant High in Mint Hill before earning her GED at Central Piedmont Community College, reported the newspaper.
Puhar appeared in the 21st cycle of "America's Next Top Model" last year and was eliminated from competition in the 10th episode, according to TMZ.
"We are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic news about Mirjana Puhar," CW's "America's Top Model" executive producers Ken Mok and Tyra Banks said in a statement on Wednesday,
according to E! News. "She was a vivacious and promising young woman. Our hearts and prayers go out to her loved ones."
In a 2014 interview with the Charlotte Observer, Puhar said that she dreamed of being a Victoria Secret model.
"Who wouldn't?" she told the newspaper. "They're hot, they have good bodies, they're walking runways, they're making tons of money. They're amazing."
Fans and others connected with the show send condolences on Twitter.
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