The teenage son of former YouTube boss Susan Wojcicki died of an accidental toxic overdose of cocaine, alprazolam, hydroxyzine and amphetamine, a coroner has concluded.
Marco Troper, a UC Berkeley freshman, was found unresponsive in his dorm room on the university’s Clark Kerr campus on the afternoon of February 13.
His grandmother Esther Wojcicki said the family feared the 19-year-old had fallen victim to drugs before the cause of death was confirmed Wednesday as “combined acute toxicity” from recreational drugs and anti-anxiety medications.
Her mother was one of the most important figures in Silicon Valley before she stepped down as YouTube CEO in 2023 to “start a new chapter focused on my family.”
And her “math genius” son was also destined for greatness, according to his grandmother, who said the family was “devastated beyond comprehension” when she broke the news of his death in February.
Marco Troper died of an accidental toxic overdose of cocaine, alprazolam, hydroxyzine and amphetamine, a coroner has concluded.
Troper, pictured with his parents Susan and Dennis, was described by his grandmother as an “all-round athlete”, who enjoyed all types of sports, including boxing, swimming and tennis.
‘Kids in college, especially freshmen and sophomores, experiment with everything. I think this was an experiment gone wrong,’ she said.
‘He was just starting (beginning) his second semester of his freshman year at UC Berkeley majoring in mathematics and he really loved it.
‘Marco’s life was shortened too much. And we are all devastated, thinking of all the opportunities and life experiences that he will miss and that we will miss together.
“We want to prevent this from happening to other families.”
Alprazolam, sometimes marketed as Xanax, is one of the most commonly prescribed anti-anxiety medications in the United States, and hydroxyzine is an antihistamine that is sometimes mixed with cocaine.
The National Center for Biotechnology Information has previously suggested that alprazolam is ‘potentially more toxic in overdose than other benzodiazepines.
UC Berkeley spokeswoman Janet Gilmore said there were no signs of foul play when first responders were called to Troper’s dorm.
The freshman was found dead in his UC Berkeley dorm room in February.
Mother Susan was Google’s inaugural chief marketing officer in 1999 before being named CEO of YouTube in 2014.
‘Kids in college, especially freshmen and sophomores, experiment with everything. “I think it was an experiment gone wrong,” said his grieving grandmother Esther Wojcicki.
‘The Berkeley Fire Department notified UCPD that they were attempting to take action to save the victim’s life. “UCPD responded and the Berkeley Fire Department pronounced the person deceased,” he wrote in a statement.
The Alameda County Coroner’s Office found that “suspected illicit and prescription drugs, including Percocet and Oxycodone, were found abundantly” at the scene and that there was no evidence of physical trauma, according to SF gate.
Prior to attending UC Berkeley, Troper graduated from the Menlo School in Atherton, where he took a leading role in the school’s hackathon and tutored numerous students.
The school’s principal, Than Healy, described him as an “avid mathematician and computer scientist” in an email.
“He was incredibly intelligent, curious and creative, often showing up at classes and community events with a bright smile and infectious energy,” Healy wrote.
Professor Freedom Cheteni, who mentored Troper in high school, described him as “my most extraordinary child.”
“Marco and I have been working on his most inspiring idea to cure cancer by leveraging nanotechnologies and AI for the past six years,” he tweeted.
‘(His) light, leadership and love will never diminish.’
The Silicon Valley scion planned to major in mathematics and came from a family of academics and technology titans.
Mother Susan was Google’s inaugural chief marketing officer in 1999 and took over as CEO of YouTube in 2014.
She is married to technology executive Dennis Troper, while one of her sisters, Anne Wojcicki, is the co-founder and CEO of genetic testing company 23andMe, and another Janet Wojcicki is a professor at the University of California, San Francisco.
The 19-year-old had planned to study mathematics at UC Berkeley, his family said.
UC Berkeley spokeswoman Janet Gilmore said there were no signs of foul play when first responders were called to Troper’s dormitory on the Clark Kerr campus.
Grandma Esther has been dubbed the “godmother of Silicon Valley” and wrote a book in 2019 titled “How to Raise Successful People.”
“At home, he told us endless stories about his life and his friends in Berkeley,” he said of the teenager.
‘He was everything you could have wanted in a son and grandson.
“It was meant to make a difference. It’s heartbreaking.
“Marco, we all love you and miss you more than you will ever imagine.”