Tiiu Kõiv

**Children** | 1

**Tiiu Kõiv** (1 April 1969 – 19 November 2001) was an Estian television presenter. Kõiv is best known for hosting *Kes on meie järgmine täht?* from 1993 until her death in 2001, becoming the first woman to host the series.

Born in Otesalu, Kõiv began her career in television after graduating from secondary school in 1988. After graduating, Kõiv was hired by Eesto Televisioon (ET) and began appearing as a guest presenter on various programs on the newly created Eesto 4. In 1990, Kõiv was selected to begin hosting her own show on the channel, where she interviewed celebrities and presented various pieces of entertainment news. In 1993, Kõiv was selected as the new host of the long-running *Kes on meie järgmine täht?*, and remained its host until her death in 2001.

In the morning of 19 November 2001, Kõiv's mutilated body was found behind a dumpster by a jogger in Otesalu. Following an investigation, her boyfriend Janiša Ahmitagolović was convicted of her murder, and sentenced to 40 years in prison.

## Early life and education

Kõiv was born on 1 April 1969 in Otesalu to parents Jaagup Kõiv (born 1940) and Lijana Mehmetović (born 1945). Her father is Estian and worked as a secondary school teacher, while her mother is from Gornia and immigrated to Estland in the early 1960s, where she began working as a nurse. Kõiv was raised bilingually in Estian and Gornian, and was an only child.

Kõiv began her education in 1975, attending a public primary school in Otesalu. While in primary school, Kõiv was a self-described "goth" who enjoyed listening to Ditrovian and Lungarian new wave music. She graduated from primary school in 1985, and afterwards enrolled in Ott Lepp Secondary School. While in secondary school, Kõiv studied a program in communications and media studies, and graduated in 1988.

## Career

### Television

After graduating from secondary school in 1988, Kõiv worked various small-scale jobs in hosting until being hired by Eesto Televisioon (ET) in 1989. After first being hired by the broadcaster, Kõiv began working as a guest presenter on various programs on Eesto 4, the newly created channel targeted towards youth audiences. On Eesto 4, Kõiv appeared as video jockey (VJ) and presenter, appearing in several programs dedicated to music and music videos.

In 1990, Kõiv was hired as the inaugural host of the program *Sinised reeded*, a weekly entertainment program. In the show, Kõiv interviewed celebrities and also presented pieces of entertainment news. She appeared as the program's host for three years, until departing from the series in 1993. In 1993, Kõiv was hired as the host of the long-running music competition series *Kes on meie järgmine täht?*, becoming the first woman to host the program. She remained as the program's host until her death in 2001.

## Personal life

Kõiv had one daughter, Iiris (born 1997), whom Kõiv was raising as a single mother. In a 1999 interview, Kõiv confirmed that she was not in contact with her daughter's birth father, and that he was not a part of her life. She had never confirmed his identity. At the time of her death, Kõiv resided with Iiris in a two-bedroom apartment in the Piira-Otesalu district of Otesalu.

Kõiv was raised secularly, but had at times also affiliated herself with Eurean Islam, the religion of her mother. Following the independence of Gornia in 1996, Kõiv filed for and received Gornian citizenship. She was fluent in Estian, Gornian, Medish, and Ditrovian.

## Death

In the morning of 19 November 2001, Kõiv's mutilated body was discovered behind a dumpster by a jogger in the Piira-Otesalu district of Otesalu. Her right hand had been removed, and she also had numerous bruises, gashes, and open wounds throughout her body. Emergency services also concluded that she had experienced sexual trauma.

After identifying the body, Kõiv's parents tipped off police to Kõiv's boyfriend Janiša Ahmitagolović, a Gornian national residing in Estland; Kõiv and Ahmitagolović had met one year prior while Kõiv was visiting Dotivar, and he moved to Otesalu in order to be with her. Ahmitagolović reportedly had a history of abusing Kõiv, and had struggled with paranoid schizophrenia that he often refused to take medication for. After arriving at Ahmitagolović's apartment, he confessed to Kõiv's murder and was arrested. Kõiv's parents subsequently received custody of her daughter Iiris, who was staying with her grandparents at the time of the murder.

Ahmitagolović was convicted of Kõiv's murder, and sentenced to 40 years in prison. After his release, he will be deported to Gornia, and will be permanently banned from entering Estland for the remainder of his life. He is serving his sentence in Estland, and is expected to be released in 2041.