Son Throws Elderly Mother Off UC Irvine Campus Building, Then Jumps To His Death

A 36-year-old man threw his elderly mother off a multi-story building before jumping to his death inside the campus of the University of California, Irvine.

The UCI Police Department arrived at the scene around 3:52 p.m. Tuesday after receiving reports about bodies lying on the ground. The victims were identified as Andrew Nguyen Doan, 36, and his mother, Thao Thai Nguyen, 77.

The Irvine Police Department eventually took over the case, which is being treated as an apparent murder-suicide, AP News reported.

Doan, who is a former student of the university, was on top of the B Building in the Social Science Plaza off of the 200 block of Pereira Drive on Tuesday afternoon. His mother, who has no affiliation with the university, was also with him at the time, according to ABC7.

While on top of the building, Doan picked up his mother and "threw her off the landing of a multi-story building," police said. He then jumped after her and plummeted to his death.

"Detectives discovered evidence suggesting this incident is a murder-suicide," Irvine police reportedly said in a news release. "Preliminary investigation determined the decedents may be related ... "

Doan reportedly studied at UC Irvine from September 2017 to June 2019 as a biological sciences major. He did not graduate. The now-deceased man was contacted by the police several times in the past over "mental health concerns."

"IPD has record of contacting Doan multiple times in the past," police said in a Wednesday statement, as quoted by KTLA 5 News. "The last call for service involving mental health concerns was in 2019."

The events that led to the murder-suicide are currently being investigated.

"We are still gathering information about who the victims are and exactly what happened, but law enforcement has informed us that there is no ongoing danger to our community," UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman said in a statement.

"Preliminary information does suggest the possibility that at least one death occurred at the hands of another," Gillman continued. "Under such circumstances, the City of Irvine Police will be leading the investigation and will be responsible for updating our community on its progress. Of course, the university will be fully cooperating with these efforts."

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.