Woman, 19, Dies in Fall at Abandoned Building Featured in Stranger Things

Woman, 19, Dies in Fall at Abandoned Building Featured in Stranger Things

The incident occurred at an abandoned building on Emory University’s Briarcliff campus in Georgia on Dec. 19.

Woman dies after falling from a building on Emory University's Briarcliff property early in the morning on December 19, 2025
An abandoned building on Emory University’s Briarcliff property on Dec. 19, 2025. Credit: Fox 5 Atlanta/YouTube

NEED TO KNOW

  • Leah Palmirotto fell to her death from the roof of an abandoned hospital in DeKalb County, Georgia, on Dec. 19
  • Police believe Palmirotto, 19, was exploring the structure featured in Netflix’s Stranger Things when the incident occurred
  • The structure is featured in the Stranger Things series as the Hawkins National Laboratory

A woman is dead after falling from the roof of a building in Georgia used as a backdrop in Netflix’s Stranger Things series.

Shortly before 1 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 19, DeKalb County police and firefighters responded to an incident on Emory University’s Briarcliff campus, Fox 5 Atlanta, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and 11 Alive reported.

The woman, who is believed to have been exploring the vacant structure with a group of others, was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators suspect that they gained access to the five-story building by climbing over a chain-link fence, per Fox 5 Atlanta.

DeKalb County medical examiner’s office has identified the woman who fell to her death as 19-year-old Leah Palmirotto.

Police are unsure why the group entered the building and are continuing to investigate Palmirotto’s death.

In 2022, it was reported that the abandoned hospital off Briarcliff Road would be torn down to make space for a senior living facility, 11 Alive reported. However, it remains intact.

The structure, known as Building A, was built in the 1960s as the Georgia Mental Health Institute psychiatric hospital before being bought by Emory University in the 1990s, per WTOC11.Hawkins Lab in Stranger Things, season 2, episode 8 - The Mind Flayer

Hawkins National Laboratory in ‘Stranger Things’ season 2, episode 8. Netflix

It has since been used as the Hawkins National Laboratory in Netflix’s Stranger Things, in addition to having featured in The Vampire Diaries.

Despite not being open to the public, the abandoned building is a popular location for urban explorers, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.

Stranger Things is filmed in multiple locations across Georgia. New episodes of the series arrive on Netflix on Christmas Day, followed by its series finale on New Year’s Eve.

The DeKalb County Police Department, DeKalb County Fire Rescue and Emory University did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

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