Woman Dies After Falling From ‘Stranger Things’ Filming Location in Georgia

A 19-year-old woman has died after falling from the roof of an abandoned building in Georgia that has been used as a filming location for Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things, authorities said.

The incident happened shortly before 1 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 19, at Emory University’s Briarcliff campus in DeKalb County. Police and firefighters responded to reports of a fall at the site, where the woman was found dead and pronounced deceased at the scene.

The DeKalb County medical examiner’s office identified the victim as Leah Palmirotto, 19. Investigators believe she was exploring the vacant five-story building with a group of other people when she fell. According to police, the group is suspected of entering the property by climbing over a chain-link fence.

Authorities said they are still investigating the circumstances surrounding Palmirotto’s death and have not determined why the group entered the building.

The structure, known as Building A, has been abandoned for years. It was originally built in the 1960s as part of the Georgia Mental Health Institute, a psychiatric hospital, before being purchased by Emory University in the 1990s. Although plans were announced in 2022 to demolish the building to make way for a senior living facility, the structure remains standing.

Over the years, the building has been used as a filming location for several television productions, including Stranger Things, where it served as the Hawkins National Laboratory, and The Vampire Diaries. Despite being closed to the public, the site has become a popular destination for urban explorers.

Stranger Things is filmed at multiple locations across Georgia. New episodes of the series are set to arrive on Netflix on Christmas Day, with the series finale scheduled for New Year’s Eve.