A freshman at Texas A&M University was found dead Sunday in the courtyard of a student dormitory after she appeared to fall from the building's third-floor balcony, campus police said.
Britney Romero, a health major, appeared to have fallen from the third-floor balcony of Dunn Hall on the east side of the campus in College Station, Josh DeLeon, a campus police spokesperson, confirmed to NBC News.
DeLeon said that the time of death is still unknown and that the Brazos County justice of the peace has ordered an autopsy. The police department received a call about the case early Sunday.
Police have not yet determined whether other students witnessed the incident. DeLeon said officers spoke to students who live in the hall.
Joe Ramirez, the vice president for student affairs, sent a campuswide statement addressing the death, the student newspaper, The Battalion, reported.
“Our hearts ache for Britney’s family and friends,” Ramirez said in the statement. “They have our deepest sympathies and support as they navigate this devastating loss.”
Ramirez said the university is conducting a thorough review of what happened. He encouraged students to speak with the university's counselors and caseworkers, who were made available to them on standby.
“We encourage our Aggie community to come together to support one another, as we always do at times like this, while also praying for and supporting Britney’s family and all those grieving this tragic loss,” he said in the statement.
