Woman, 53, identified by fingerprints after falling to her death at Ohio State graduation

Students were visibly upset as ceremony continued on Sunday afternoon

Emergency services were seen outside the Ohio State Stadium in Columbus after a woman fell to her death on 5 May 2024 (WBNS)

The woman who fell to her death during a graduation ceremony at Ohio State University has been identified.

Larissa Brady, 53, was identified by her fingerprints following the tragic incident, according to the Franklin County Coroner’s Office.

The incident happened at around 12.25pm on Sunday as students arrived for the ceremony in Columbus, Ohio. Brady was declared dead by medics who arrived on the scene, 10WBNS reported. The ceremony carried on as planned following the fatality.

Ohio State University Police Department told The Independent that officers “do not suspect foul play or an accidental fall”.

“Ohio State is grieving the death of Larissa Brady, a family member of one of our graduates,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to her family and friends during this exceptionally difficult time.”

Around 12,500 students were in the stadium at the time. A reporter for The Columbus Dispatch, who was at the event, said some students were visibly upset.

Ohio State University’s graduation ceremonies took place after weeks of Gaza protests on campus, part of a wave of demonstrations sweeping colleges across the US. In Indiana, some students walked out of their graduation ceremony on Saturday, while pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Michigan interrupted the event there.

In Columbus, Melissa Shivers, Ohio State’s senior vice president of student life, called for a day without interruptions on Sunday. "Today is a day for focusing on and celebrating our graduates,” she said, according to the Dispatch.

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