Zambian influencer Lisa Mutalu has died at age 25.
Mutalu, whose legal name was Lisa Mutambo, was a lifestyle content creator who shared fashion, travel, and personal moments with more than 122,000 followers on Instagram.
At approximately 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 19, Mutalu and two female friends went to a drinking establishment in Lusaka, where they “continued socialising,” according to a preliminary police report.
Her boyfriend, identified by police as Caleb Lisa, also known as Andrea, picked up the three women between 2:30 a.m. and 3 a.m. the following morning. After dropping off Mutalu’s friends in the Minestone/Casanova area, he continued with Mutalu to the Kalundu area, where the couple reportedly lived together.
Police said Mutalu began vomiting after they arrived at the residence and later became unconscious. Her boyfriend then contacted a friend, who helped transport her to Victoria Hospital.
Mutalu was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. Police placed the time of the reported incident between 3:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m.
Officers examined what the department described as the primary and secondary scenes. Mutalu’s body was initially taken to FSG Mortuary before being transferred to the University Teaching Hospital Mortuary for a postmortem examination.
“No physical injuries have been observed on the body,” the Zambia Police Service said. "An inquiry file has been opened, and investigations into the circumstances surrounding the death are ongoing."
Authorities did not announce a cause of death in the statement.
Chelstone Police Station received the sudden-death report at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 20, several hours after Mutalu was taken to the hospital.
Police said Mutalu had spent part of the previous evening with her two friends at an unidentified hotel where she served as an ambassador. The group was there from approximately 8:30 p.m. before leaving for the second establishment later that night.
“The Zambia Police Service will provide further information as investigations progress,” Deputy Police Public Relations Officer Chipo Kaitisha said in the statement.