A former University of California, Irvine, student threw his mother off a campus building before killing himself on Tuesday, police said.
Andrew Nguyen Doan, 36, and his mother, Thao Thai Nguyen, 77, were found dead on the ground outside the university’s Social Sciences Plaza B building, according to a news release from the Irvine Police Department.
Their deaths remain under investigation, but police said they believe it was a murder-suicide. No information was immediately released about any motive.
According to police, officers had contact with Doan multiple times in the past, most recently involving a “mental health concern” in 2019, the last year he attended the university. The LA Times reported that Doan had studied biological sciences from September 2017 to June 2019 but did not graduate.
In a statement, UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman said the university is working with police in the ongoing investigation and is offering counseling resources for students, faculty, and staff.
“At such a time, our primary thoughts are with the victims and their families,” he said. “But there are also members of the UCI community who have been contacted to assist with the investigation and to share their knowledge of what may have happened.”
Dial 988 in the US to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The Trevor Project, which provides help and suicide-prevention resources for LGBTQ youth, is 1-866-488-7386. Find other international suicide helplines at Befrienders Worldwide (befrienders.org).