Who was Larissa Brady? Woman Who Fell to her Death During Ohio State University Commencement

Larissa Brady was a woman who fell to her death during the commencement of Ohio State University on Sunday in what investigators are calling an apparent suicide.

Brady, from Woodstock, Georgia, fell to her death from the stands at Ohio Stadium and was pronounced dead at 12:25 p.m. by Columbus firefighters.

According to records, Brady’s daughter was listed as a graduate being honored at Ohio State according to the 2024 program.

The death is being investigated as an “apparent suicide” by the Franklin County Coroner’s Office, according to preliminary reports reviewed by The Columbus Dispatch.

Around 12:30 p.m., a person fell from Ohio Stadium’s stands near the Bell Tower just as some of the last graduates filtered into the stadium via a tunnel, according to university officials and an eyewitness.

“An individual fell from the stands. They are deceased,” OSU spokesman Ben Johnson said Sunday in the university’s initial confirmation of the death.

“We have no additional details to share at this time. Police and emergency responders are on scene. For anyone affected by today’s incident, we will make counseling and other support resources available.”

The commencement continued uninterrupted as news of the death spread through the crowd.

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 son to sit and watch the ceremony, according to the investigative report from the coroner’s office.

Once seated, Brady told her family she wanted to move higher into the stadium and her that’s when her family lost sight of her.

Witnesses saw Brady climb over the stadium’s concrete wall from the last row of benches, according to the coroner’s office. Brady had been sitting in section C30 near the bell tower.

Brady had suffered from mental health issues and had attempted suicide at least twice before, most recently earlier this year, according to the coroner’s office.

Her husband told investigators that she had not been compliant with her medications.

“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.”