Tech

Son of Former YouTube CEO Found Dead in Dorm

‘IT’S HEARTBREAKING’

Marco Troper’s grandmother, Esther Wojcicki, told SFGATE that he died of a suspected drug overdose.

Susan Wojcicki and Dennis Troper in 2020
Ian Tuttle

The 19-year-old student found dead at UC Berkeley’s Clark Kerr Campus on Tuesday has been identified as Marco Troper, the son of former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki.

Troper’s grandmother, Esther Wojcicki, told SFGATE that she believes her grandson took a drug that killed him.

“He ingested a drug, and we don’t know what was in it,” she said. “…One thing we do know, it was a drug.”

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“We want to prevent this from happening to any other family,” Wojcicki said.

The family is awaiting a toxicology report that could help confirm the cause of death.

Janet Gilmore, a spokesperson for UC Berkeley, confirmed the details surrounding Troper’s death, stating that he was discovered at 4:23 p.m. on Feb. 13.

She said despite a quick response from the Berkeley Fire Department and UC Berkeley police officers, who administered life-saving measures, Troper could not be revived.

Esther Wojcicki described her grandson to SFGATE as a “math genius” and said he planned to major in math.

“He was everything you could have wished for in a son and a grandson,” she said. “He was destined to make a difference, it’s heartbreaking.”

Troper’s aunt is 23andMe founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki, who was married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin from 2007-2015.

He is survived by his mother, four siblings, and his father, Dennis Troper.

Read it at SFGATE