Georgia mother identified as person killed in fall at daughter’s Ohio State graduation ceremony
A Ohio Stadium sign during the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Ohio State Buckeyes on November 18, 2023, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, OH. (Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, Ohio - A woman who fell from the stands to her death during a graduation ceremony at Ohio State University last weekend has been identified as a Georgia resident, authorities announced Tuesday.
The Franklin County Coroner’s Office said Larissa Brady, 53, was pronounced dead at the scene, just outside Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Sunday. The Columbus Dispatch reported the death was being investigated as an apparent suicide, citing coroner documents.
An investigation continues into how Brady fell from the stadium, which the school says is 136 feet (41 meters) tall, to the pavement below. However, Ohio State police do not suspect foul play and believe the fall was not accidental, university spokesperson Ben Johnson said Tuesday.
It happened around midday, near the stadium’s Bell Tower, as the last graduates were filing into the stadium. According to the commencement program, Brady’s daughter was among those graduating.
The commencement continued without mention of what happened, but some students and others at the ceremony were visibly upset after the fall. A spokesman said the university has contacted all graduates and staff who volunteered at graduation to offer counseling services.
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