Abigail Bastien, a 19-year-old Johns Hopkins University student athlete, was found dead outside of her off-campus apartment building on Thursday, July 13. Authorities believe Bastien accidentally fell off the building.
According to Baltimore Police, the 19-year-old Bastien’s death appears to be the result of an accidental fall. After a preliminary investigation, police spokesman T.J. Smith said that ‘nothing in the case points towards homicide.’
‘Our early indications, based on all the evidence that we have, which includes video evidence and statements from people, is that this is an accidental death where it appears that she fell off of the building from quite a distance and died as a result of that,’ Smith said.
Bastien’s body was found on the morning of Thursday, July 13, around 8 AM outside her apartment building on the 3700 block of N. Charles Street.
At this time, Baltimore Police say they are not sure what caused Bastien to fall, or where she fell from. They are still awaiting the toxicology results from the medical examiner’s office to determine Bastien’s exact cause of death.
via Baltimore Sun:
“Our early indications, based on all the evidence that we have, which includes video evidence and statements from people, is that this is an accidental death where it appears that she fell off of the building from quite a distance and died as a result of that,” T.J. Smith said. “We’re still waiting on toxicology results from the medical examiner’s office before we’re able to determine exactly everything that was going on.”
Smith said he did not know how Bastien is believed to have fallen, or from where in or on the building, though video surveillance and witness statements have allowed police to be “a little bit more conclusive as to what we know occurred during the period of time leading up to her death.”
Bastien’s family has not responded to requests for comment.
Johns Hopkins University released a statement mourning the death of Bastien, who was a sprinter on the university’s track and field team and a member of the Alpha Phi sorority. Bastien, who was from Sandusky, Ohio, was entering her sophomore year at Johns Hopkins, where she was majoring in molecular and cell biology. Bastien also worked in the cell biology department in the university’s School of Medicine and at THB Bagels & Deli over the summer.
Speaking to the Sandusky Register, Bastien’s coaches said the 19-year-old sprinter she ‘always had a smile on her face and loved being a student-athlete.’
Abigail is survived by her mothe, her father, her two sisters, Kaylee Bastien and Ashlyn Legando, and her two brothers, Brady and Kaden Legando.
