Petition Seeks to Reopen Case of Penn State Student’s Death

More than 1,700 people have signed a Change.org petition to convince the Centre County District Attorney’s Office to reopen the case of a Penn State student who died in November after an 11-story fall down a trash chute at a downtown State College apartment building.

Justine Gross’s body was found by police officers at the Centre County Recycling & Refuse Authority transfer station at 2:45 a.m. on Nov. 12, one day after she was reported missing. In February, the 19-year-old sophomore’s death was ruled accidental and State College police closed the case “absent any new information or evidence.”

“Justine’s family members do not believe that she voluntarily went into the trash chute and have asked for Justine’s case to be reopened in the state of Pennsylvania,” the petition organizer, who appears to be Gross’s sister, Jasmine, wrote. “Her family needs your help to bring attention to her case to convince the District Attorney in Centre County Pennsylvania to reopen her case. They feel like there are still a lot of gaps that remain in the account of her last night alive. Help her family get justice for her by signing this petition.” 

Toxicology analysis conducted as part of the autopsy detected marijuana and an elevated level of alcohol in Gross’s system. In an interview with NJ.com shortly after her daughter’s death, Gross’s mother, Francoise, alleged that she’d spoken with a man who offered Justine a blunt on Nov. 10. He said she “freaked out” after taking the drug, ran to the building’s top floor, and jumped into the trash chute. Francoise said she was “shocked”, as to her knowledge, Justine didn’t use drugs.

The petition says the man who gave Gross the blunt “was not thoroughly questioned about the blunt he admitted to giving to her the night of her death.”

Police said in February that neither investigators nor the coroner’s office obtained any information to indicate Gross’s death was criminal in nature. They previously said that “eyewitness, video and forensic evidence” were being used to investigate the case and that all witnesses were fully cooperating.

Gross’s family believes the “non-cohesive video footage” they were shown doesn’t tell the whole story about how she ended up in the trash chute.

State College community members gathered on Nov. 18 at Beaver Terrace to honor Gross’s life.