The son of former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, 19-year-old Marco Troper, was found dead earlier this week in his dormitory at the University of California, Berkeley, the family confirmed.
He was found dead when authorities responded to reports of an unresponsive student at the Clark Kerr dorms on the UC Berkeley campus. Despite efforts by the Berkeley Fire Department to administer life-saving measures, Troper was pronounced dead.
The cause of death remains unknown at this time, and campus police have stated that there are no signs of foul play. Troper’s grandmother, Esther Wojcicki, however, believes that he may have died from a drug overdose.
“He ingested a drug, and we don’t know what was in it. … One thing we do know, it was a drug,” Esther Wojcicki told media outlet SFGATE.
The family is waiting on a toxicology report that could help confirm the cause of death, but it could take up to 30 days.
In a Facebook post, she described her grandson as a “loving” and a “math genius.”
Troper, a freshman majoring in mathematics, was just starting his second semester at UC Berkeley. His academic pursuits and social life seemed to be thriving, with a strong community of friends in his dorm at Stern Hall and his involvement in the Zeta Psi fraternity.
In a poignant Facebook post, Esther Wojcicki expressed the family’s devastation. “Marco was the most kind, loving, smart, fun, and beautiful human being,” she wrote. “He was just getting started on his second semester of his freshman year at UC Berkeley majoring in math and was truly loving it.”She reflected on Troper’s vibrant life, recounting the endless stories he shared about his experiences and friends at Berkeley.
