Ohio State: Mother Fatally Falls from Stadium at Graduation

The death of the mother of a graduating Ohio State student is being investigated as a suspected suicide.
Published: May 8, 2024

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A woman fell to her death during Ohio State’s graduation ceremony on Sunday.

The victim, identified as 53-year-old Larissa Brady of Woodstock, Ga., was pronounced dead at the scene after falling 136 feet from the stands at Ohio Stadium, USA Today reports. Brady’s daughter was receiving her bachelor’s degree during the ceremony, according to the university’s program.

Ohio State Police did not suspect foul play nor that the fall was accidental, spokesperson Ben Johnson wrote in an emailed statement. Officials later announced her death was likely a suicide.

According to an investigative report from the Franklin County Coroner’s Office, Brady spoke to her daughter before the ceremony and went into the stadium with her husband and 12-year-old son. Brady then told her family she wanted to move higher into the stands and made her way to the last row of benches. Witnesses said Brady climbed over the stadium’s concrete wall near the Bell Tower around 12:25 p.m. as the final graduates filed in.

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Brady suffered from mental health issues and had attempted suicide at least twice before, most recently earlier this year. Her husband told investigators that she was not taking medications properly.

Some students witnessed the suspected suicide but the ceremony continued without interruption as news of the incident spread through the crowd. Students leaving the ceremony walked past the scene which was still cordoned off by yellow crime scene tape.

On Monday, the day before the woman was identified, students and staff criticized the way the school handled the tragedy during the event. A university spokesperson told News 5 that the school remained silent “out of respect for the family during an evolving public safety response.”

After the incident, the school contacted all graduates and staff who volunteered at graduation to offer counseling services.

If you or someone you know might be at risk of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text TALK to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional information. 

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