The death of a 19-year-old UC Berkeley freshman found in his dorm in February was caused by acute combined drug toxicity, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.
Students walk to class through the Sather Gate on the UC Berkeley campus in 2022.
Jessica Christian/The ChronicleMarco Troper, who was in his second semester at the university, was found unresponsive in a college dorm on Feb. 13. His grandmother, Esther Wojcicki, announced his death on social media the next day. Troper, a math major, was the son of former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, who stepped down from her role last year after 25 years with Google, which owns the video streaming company.
On Tuesday, Sgt. Victor Galindo of the sheriff’s office told the Chronicle that the investigation into Troper’s manner of death is still ongoing, adding that investigators do not suspect foul play. Galindo said there was no information available about which drugs were in Troper’s system.
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After Troper’s death, Esther Wojcicki told the Palo Alto Daily Post that the family suspected that Troper died from an accidental drug overdose. “I think the most important thing is that teenagers and college students need to know that drugs today are not the same as the drugs of yesterday, they’re often laced with fentanyl,” Wojcicki told the Post.
Three days after Troper’s death, UC Berkeley spokesperson Janet Gilmore confirmed the university had a “student death earlier this week.” Gilmore said a student residing at the Clark Kerr Campus was found unresponsive on Feb. 13 around 4:23 p.m. Berkeley firefighters attempted lifesaving aid, but the student was pronounced dead. Gilmore said there were no signs of foul play.
Reach Jordan Parker: jordan.parker@sfchronicle.com; X/Twitter: @jparkerwrites
