A 25-year-old female UF graduate student fell to her death on Friday at the University of South Florida Tampa campus.
Just after 3:15 p.m., Thao Thi Thanh Tran, a Port Richey, Florida, resident and UF pharmacy student who studied at the Moffitt Cancer Center, fell off the Richard A. Beard parking garage. Authorities found she was experiencing “personal stress,” according to a USF public safety alert.
There aren’t any indications of foul play as of Saturday and authorities believe she may have taken her own life, according to a USF police press release.
UF College of Pharmacy Dean Julie Johnson released a statement saying the college is saddened over the loss of the fourth-year graduate student. She said Tran was scheduled to graduate as a double Gator this Spring. Johnson encouraged students to seek support in light her death.
“We are a close-knit college, and we are mourning the loss of Thao,” Johnson said.
Danielle McDonald, the USF assistant vice president and dean of students, listed resources and offered consolation to students on Facebook following the incident.
McDonald wrote there wasn’t a threat to the community but urged people to reach out for help if needed.
“While you may not have a direct relationship to this incident, it is tragic and could bring up many emotions,” McDonald wrote. “It is important when tragedy occurs, that you all know there are resources here for you.”
The death comes months after a UF graduate student died by suicide on campus.
In June, UF began investigating the death of Huixiang Chen, an international doctoral candidate in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He was found dead on UF’s campus in Benton Hall after taking his own life.
UF Graduate Assistants United declined to comment on Tran’s death. The group is waiting to learn more information from law enforcement before making a statement.
The investigation is ongoing and authorities are waiting on the medical examiner’s report, according to the alert. Anyone with information can contact USF police at 813-974-2628.
Suicide hotline: 1-800-273-8255
UF Counseling and Wellness Center: 352-392-1575
Alachua County Crisis Center: 352-264-6789
USFCounseling center- 813-974-2831
USF Victim’s advocacy- 813-974-5756
