The 19-year-old son of ex-YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki was discovered deceased at the University of California, Berkeley, as stated by his grandmother on Facebook.
A student residing at the Clark Kerr Campus, a student housing complex, was discovered unresponsive around 4:23 p.m. local time on Tuesday, according to UC Berkeley spokesperson Janet Gilmore. The victim’s grandmother, Esther Wojcicki, confirmed his death and identity in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
Esther Wojcicki said,
“My beloved grandson Marco Troper, age 19 passed away yesterday. Our family is devastated beyond comprehension.”
“Troper was ‘the most kind, loving, smart, fun and beautiful human being.”’
The Berkeley Fire Department was dispatched to the complex and informed the University of California Police Department that they were “attempting life-saving measures” on the student, according to Gilmore. Upon the campus police’s arrival, the Berkeley Fire Department had already pronounced the student dead.
Gilmore mentioned that there were no indications of foul play and that an investigation into the death was ongoing.
As per his grandmother, Troper “was just getting started” in his second semester of freshman year at UC Berkeley, majoring in math, “and was truly loving it.” Esther Wojcicki mentioned that besides “thriving academically,” Troper had a “strong community of friends,” comprising both his dorm mates and fraternity brothers. She wrote,
“At home, he would tell us endless stories of his life and friends at Berkeley.”
“Marco’s life was cut too short. And we are all devastated, thinking about all the opportunities and life experiences that he will miss and we will miss together.”
“Marco, we all love you and miss you more than you will ever know.”
While the cause of Troper’s death remains undetermined, Esther Wojcicki told SF Gate that she suspects her grandson died from a drug overdose. She mentioned that the family is awaiting the results of a toxicology report.
“He ingested a drug, and we don’t know what was in it,” she told SF Gate, adding: “One thing we do know, it was a drug.”
“We want to prevent this from happening to any other family,” Esther Wojcicki shared.
