STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — A Penn State University student who was found dead last week fell down a trash chute, the State College Police Department said Friday.
Justine Gross’ body was found Nov. 12 after she was reported missing the day before, having last been seen on the evening of Nov. 10.
In Friday’s update, police said Gross died after falling down an 11th floor solid waste disposal chute at a building on East Beaver Avenue. She fell into a waste receptacle on the ground floor.
The fall happened about 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 10, according to investigators.
They revealed Friday that video suggests that when she fell, she was alone in an 11th floor hallway and in the waste disposal room.
After the fall, the waste receptacle was emptied by a Borough of State College refuse truck, police said. Her body was found by State College police officers at the Centre County Recycling & Refuse Authority transfer station in College Township.
State College Police and the Centre County Coroner’s Office continue to investigate Gross’ death, which authorities said appears to be accidental. Eyewitness, video and forensic evidence are being used in the investigation.
The coroner’s office will determine the cause of death after receiving final lab testing results, as well as information obtained throughout the ongoing investigation.
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