Photo: @annabelle_ham/Instagram
YouTube influencer Annabelle Ham is now reported to have been found dead and pulled from an Alabama bay, a Baldwin County Coroner's Office report obtained by the New York Post on Wednesday (July 19) confirmed.
Ham, 22, was reported to have been found in the waters of Mobile Bay in Fairhope, Alabama, on July 15 and later transported to the Alabama Department of Forensics, Mobile Lab, for an autopsy, though an official cause of death was not yet publicly revealed as of Wednesday. The report comes hours after Ham's family said she suffered an "epileptic event" in a post shared on her Instagram account Tuesday (July 18).
“This is Annabelle’s family. We’re writing this with heavy, heavy hearts,” the family wrote in a statement shared alongside a photo with Annabelle. "Annabelle experienced an epileptic event and has gone on to the gates of heaven. She struggled with this for a long time and wanted to raise awareness for it, which we will do in honor of her.
"Annabelle was beautiful and inspiring and lived life to the fullest. Everyone she met was inspired by her energy and the light inside her soul that shined so bright. She was, and will forever be, so so loved. We’re asking for your prayers of peace for her family and friends during this difficult time, and to allow all of us the chance to grieve and work through this as a family.
"Please don’t post or spread speculation or details that are unfounded. There will be a time to share more details and to go deeper into her life. Her accounts will be used to share what she went through and the joys she brought to all of us. Unnecessary comments only serve to hurt us all, this is a time for remembrance and mourning. Thank you."
Annabelle's sister, Alexandria, told the New York Post that the 22-year-old had "struggled with epilepsy for a while."
“Honestly — she was just all that’s good in this world. She was the life of the party, a spark-plug, she loved everyone she met and everyone loved her too,” Alexandria said. “She was always so happy and looked for ways to make every day, situation, or outing better. There really aren’t adequate words for how good she was.”
Ham, who attended Kennesaw State University and was a member of the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority, had more than 78,000 subscribers on her YouTube account which featured beauty tutorials and glimpses into her Georgia college life, as well as more than 75,000 followers on Instagram and more than 34,500 followers on TikTok. Kennesaw State's Alpha Omicron Pi said Ham had died last Saturday (July 15), which was confirmed in a post shared by her sister, Amelia, on Monday (July 17).
"Sometimes I don't understand why God does things but, I can't even put into words how hard this is," Amelia Ham wrote. "You would never think something like this would or could happen to you until it does. Annabelle was such a good sister to Alexandria, and me. She was amazing, she has gone to so many places seen and done so many things. She was so sweet, so pretty with the most bluest eyes ever, she was always happy and lighted up every room. But God was ready for her. I know she always wanted to live life to the fullest, that’s what we have to do now. And I know she is dancing around in heaven right now. I can’t wait to give u a big hug one day."