The 19-year-old son of former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki was found dead at the University of California, Berkeley, and his family suspects a drug overdose as the likely cause. Marco Troper, a first-year math major, was found unresponsive in a dormitory at the Clark Kerr campus around 4:23 p.m. on Tuesday, according to KRON4, citing school officials.
The heartbroken grandmother of the math major, Esther Wojcicki, suggested that he may have died due to a drug overdose after confirming both his death and identity. Esther told SFGATE: “He ingested a drug, and we don’t know what was in it,” she said. “One thing we do know, it was a drug.”
Drug Overdose Leads to Death
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Efforts by emergency responders to revive him were unsuccessful. UC Berkeley spokesperson Janet Gilmore said that there were no indications of foul play, but she did not disclose whether Troper’s death was a result of a drug overdose.
“Berkeley Fire Department notified UCPD that they were attempting life-saving measures on the victim,” the University of California Police Department said in a statement. “UCPD responded, and Berkeley Fire Department pronounced the person deceased.”
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In a poignant social media post, Esther confirmed the identity of the college student who had recently begun the second semester of his freshman year.
“Tragedy hit my family yesterday My beloved grandson Marco Troper, age 19 passed away yesterday. Our family is devastated beyond comprehension,” the grieving grandmother wrote.
“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,” Esther continued.
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“We want to prevent this from happening to any other family,” added Wojcicki — often referred to as the “Godmother of Silicon Valley” for her daughters’ successes — said her family wants to prevent a similar death from happening to another family.
Exact Cause of Death Still Unclear
According to the outlet, a toxicology report, which will confirm Troper’s cause of death, is expected to take up to 30 days. Troper was a math major and had a close-knit community of friends from his dorm at Stern Hall and his involvement in the Zeta Psi fraternity, as mentioned by his grandmother.
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“At home, he would tell us endless stories of his life and friends at Berkeley,’ she wrote. “
The grandmother also described Troper as an “all-around athlete” who took pleasure in various sports, including boxing, swimming, and tennis.
“He was everything you could have wished for in a son and a grandson. He was destined to make a difference, it’s heartbreaking.”
“Kids in college, especially freshmen and sophomores, experiment with everything. I think this was an experiment that went wrong,” she told Palo Alto Daily Post.
Before enrolling at UC Berkeley, Troper graduated from Menlo School in Atherton, where he played a prominent role in the school’s hackathon and provided tutoring for several students.
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In an email, school head Than Healy described Troper as an “avid mathematician and computer scientist.”
“He was incredibly intelligent, curious, and creative — often showing up to class and community events with a bright smile and an infectious energy,” Healy wrote.
Troper is survived by four siblings and his father, Dennis Troper.
