Mirjana Puhar: 5 Things To Know About ‘ANTM’ Star Who Was Murdered

 February 25, 2015

‘America’s Next Top Model’ fans are reeling after former contestant Mirjana, 19, was murdered in a shocking triple homicide on Feb. 24. In the wake of this terrible tragedy, let’s get to know the beautiful, talented person that Mirjana was.
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Mirjana Puhar may be gone but her spirit will live on in the hearts and memories ofher friends, family and fans. 

1. Mirjana was born in Srmeska Mitorvica, Serbia, and she and her family were Serbian war refugees, according to an interview she gave The Charlotte Observer. The Puhars fled the country following the Kosovo War, when Mirjana was about five years old. After finding homage in New York City, they eventually relocated to North Carolina, where Mirjana grew up. 

2. Mirjana’s name is pronounced “Meer-ee-ah-na”, although people rarely got it right. “It’s okay,” she said in the interview. “I’m used to it by now.”

3. Mirjana had been modeling since she was just 12 years old. She worked with local modeling centers like Barbizon and John Casablancas, but she didn’t enjoy those experiences. Eventually she went on to become a contestant on Season 21 of America’s Next Top Model.

4. Mirjana dropped out of high school at age 16. “I was a wild child,” she revealed. “I went out, had fun, partied, whatever — I didn’t really have the best influences around me.” But right before Mirjana was cast in America’s Next Top Model, she earned her GED at a local community college.

5. Mirjana hinted at her dark past to The Charlotte Observer before her season of ANTM aired, saying, “I don’t want people dabbling in my personal life, and I’m pretty sure they’re gonna do that after seeing the show. Once you watch the show, and you see what they get into, and what I speak about … then I’m pretty sure they’re gonna try to get into [my past].”