(DailyAnswer.org) – A woman fell from the stadium stands and died during the graduation ceremony at Ohio State University on May 5.
An officer used the OSU’s police radio to request medics and additional officers at gate 30 of the stadium and the woman was declared dead shortly afterwards by medics at 12:25 P.M. OSU spokesman Ben Johnson told reporters that there were no further details to share and that emergency responders and police were there at the scene. Johnson added that the university would make support services and counseling available to students affected by the incident.
Fingerprints were used to identify the woman as 53-year-old Larissa Brady, the mother of one of the graduates at the ceremony. Following the death, the ceremony proceeded as planned, having started at noon. The Ohio State University Police Department stated to reporters that it did not suspect an accidental fall or foul play. An investigation is underway and the Franklin County coroner’s preliminary reports are looking into Brady’s death as a suicide.
Speakers at the ceremony did not mention the death, and according to one witness Brady fell as the last of the students were filing past her location. The witness added that several students were noticeably upset following the incident, though many were left unaware of the tragedy until they saw the area by the stadium’s bell tower cordoned off after the ceremony. Brady reportedly spoke to her daughter upon entering the stadium then went to sit with her husband and 12-year-old son in the stands to observe the ceremony. After the family sat down, Brady told them that she wanted to move to somewhere higher up and they lost contact with her. According to witnesses, she went to the last row of seats and climbed over the concrete wall of the stadium.
Brady’s husband said to investigators that she had not been taking medication prescribed for mental health issues. She had attempted suicide at least two times previously. In his statement confirming the tragedy, Johnson said that the state of Ohio was grieving Brady’s death. He extended his condolences to the family of Brady during an “exceptionally difficult time”.
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