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Vigil held for woman who died at 'Stranger Things' site
A vigil was held Tuesday night for a young woman police believe died after falling while exploring an abandoned building in DeKalb County. The property, owned by Emory University, is off Briarcliff Road and is known to fans of Stranger Things as the setting for Hawkins Lab.
KENNESAW, Ga. - A DeKalb County father is urging young people to stay out of abandoned buildings after his 19-year-old daughter died last week while exploring a fenced-off property on Emory University’s campus.
Police said Leah Palmirotto fell from a five-story vacant building early Friday morning while checking out the site with friends. The structure along Briarcliff Road is widely known to fans as Hawkins Lab from the Netflix series "Stranger Things." Authorities said security is now guarding the area as the investigation continues.
Vigil for Leah Palmirotto
What they're saying:
Friends and family gathered Tuesday night at Swift-Cantrell Park in Kennesaw to remember Palmirotto, sharing memories during a candlelight vigil near the skate park. Dozens attended, releasing balloons and holding a moment of silence in her honor.
"It’s the day before Christmas Eve, like who shows up for somebody the day before Christmas Eve…this is a great turnout," said her father, Todd Palmirotto Jr.
"She was so full of life, she’s fearless, she did so much and was so good at photography everything," said Kaylee Smith, a friend.
Palmirotto was known for her love of photography, as well as cars, motorcycles and skate parks. Her death drew dozens of people to the vigil, many of whom shared stories about the impact she had on their lives.
"It just shows how many people’s hearts she’s touched. Every single person here has a story, every single person here, she’s touched their lives, their hearts," her father said.
READ ALSO: Father mourns daughter’s fatal fall at ‘Stranger Things’ site: ‘She was perfect’
Emory Briarcliff campus fall
The backstory:
DeKalb County police say the fatal fall happened shortly before 1 a.m. Friday at a vacant building on Emory University’s Briarcliff campus near North Decatur Road. Officers said Palmirotto was part of a group that had been exploring the fence-off abandoned five-story structure when she fell and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators believe the group got inside by climbing over a chain-link fence surrounding the property.
Police said the investigation remains active.
What's next:
Emory police said the death remains under investigation. The university said it has warning signs posted at the site advising people not to trespass and plans to enhance security at the property.
Famous ‘Stranger Things’ site
Dig deeper:
The building, now called Building A, once housed the Georgia Mental Health Institute psychiatric hospital before Emory acquired the site. It is widely known as a filming location, including serving as Hawkins National Laboratory in the Netflix series "Stranger Things," and has appeared in other productions such as "The Vampire Diaries."
What you can do:
A fundraiser has been set up to help Leah’s family with burial costs. That can be found at https://gofund.me/851bf6164
The Source: Family and friends of Leah Palmirotto spoke with FOX 5 Atlanta at the vigil. Emory University offered a brief update. Previous FOX 5 Atlanta reporting was also used.