Georgia woman identified as person killed in stadium fall during Ohio State graduation

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — The death of a woman who fell from Ohio Stadium during Ohio State University's spring commencement on Sunday has been identified as a Georgia resident, authorities announced Tuesday.

Larissa Brady, 53, of Woodstock, Georgia, north of Marietta, was pronounced dead at 12:25 p.m. Sunday at the scene outside Ohio Stadium by Columbus firefighters, according to the coroner's office. Brady was identified by her fingerprints, the coroner's office said.

Brady's daughter was receiving a bachelor's degree during the ceremony, according to the university's program. Brady spoke to her daughter as she entered the stadium for commencement, the coroner's office report stated.

Brady then went into the stadium with her husband and 12-year-old son to sit and watch the ceremony, according to an investigative report from the coroner's office. Once seated, Brady then told her family she wanted to move higher into the stadium and her family told investigators they lost sight of her.

After making her way to the last row of benches, witnesses saw Brady climb over the stadium's concrete wall, according to the coroner's office. Brady had been sitting in section C30 near the bell tower.

Investigation after deadly fall

According to the coroner's office, Brady had suffered from mental health issues and had attempted suicide at least twice before, most recently earlier this year. Her husband told investigators that she had not been compliant with her medications.

Ohio State and its police department have released little information about the death that occurred during Sunday's commencement ceremony. Ohio State police did not suspect foul play nor that the fall was the result of an accident, university spokesman Ben Johnson said Tuesday in an emailed statement.

The death, according to preliminary reports reviewed by The Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network, is being investigated as an "apparent suicide" by the Franklin County Coroner's Office.

Following the death, the university contacted all graduates and staff who volunteered at graduation and offered counseling services, Johnson told The Dispatch. The commencement on Sunday continued uninterrupted as news of the death spread through the crowd.

University officials and commencement speakers — including social entrepreneur and OSU alum Chris Pan — did not reference to the death during the ceremony. Students leaving the graduation ceremony at the stadium walked past the area where Brady fell, which was still cordoned off by yellow crime scene tape.

"Ohio State is grieving the death of Larissa Brady, a family member of one of our graduates," Johnson said via email. "Our hearts go out to her family and friends during this exceptionally difficult time."