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A 19-year-old has tragically lost her life after falling from a deserted Atlanta structure known for its appearance as Hawkins Lab in the Netflix series Stranger Things.
According to the DeKalb County Police, officers were dispatched around 12:49 a.m. on December 19 following reports of a fall at a property situated on the 1200 block of Briarcliff Road, as reported by Oxygen.
The victim, identified as Leah Palmirotto, was among a group exploring the empty, five-story building, authorities informed local news outlets like FOX5 Atlanta and WSB-TV.
A GoFundMe page set up for Palmirotto confirmed her passing, describing it as a “tragic accident” that occurred early in the morning of December 19.
A family friend expressed on the GoFundMe campaign, “What started as typical activities for a 19-year-old ended in heartbreaking devastation.”
The friend added that Palmirotto had an affinity for photography and “loved exploring and photographing abandoned buildings.”
Investigators believe Palmirotto and her group entered the fenced-off property by climbing over a chain-link fence, according to FOX5 Atlanta.
Palmirotto’s father said he believes his daughter visited the property prior to the night of her death.
“Going to these places are dangerous,” he told FOX5 Atlanta, adding that he was “blown away” when police informed him of her death.
The Emory Police Department is handling the investigation into Palmirotto’s death, and Oxygen has reached out to the department and the university for comment.
Emory University said that they’re “enhancing security” at the fenced-off site, which was in the process of being demolished to make room for a senior living community.
“There are signs on the property advising people not to enter,” the school told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “and warning them not to trespass.”
Emory’s Briarcliff Building A––the site of Palmirotto’s fall––was known to fans of Stranger Things as the filming location for Hawkins National Laboratory, a key setting in the sci-fi series. It was once home to the Georgia Mental Health Institute before being purchased by Emory in the 1990s.
The building had previously been listed on the university’s website as a filming location, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution first noted.