Autopsy: Springboro grad who died following Columbus protests died from natural causes

A Springboro High School graduate, who was the center of social media rumors that she may have died as a result of tear gas being sprayed during protests in Columbus, passed away from natural causes, a final autopsy report shows.

The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office determined Sarah Grossman, 22, died from a coronary artery dissection, due to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

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According to Mayo Clinic, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a rare disorder that affects connective tissue, primarily the skin, joints, and blood vessel walls.

According to a report from the Dayton Daily News, Grossman’s sister previously said in an online post that Sarah Grossman died possibly from respiratory issues from being exposed to tear gas while protesting the death of George Floyd. The post has since been edited to remove the reference to tear gas, the Dayton Daily News reported. Her sister has declined to comment to the newspaper until a official cause of death was determined.

After the social media reports involving Grossman surfaced, the city of Columbus posted on Twitter. “We have seen social media reports of a young woman passing away as the result of being sprayed during a protest in Columbus. What we know right now is that (the Columbus Fire Department) does not have a record of an EMT transport to any Columbus-area hospitals,” a tweet read.

A city of Columbus spokeswoman told the Dayton Daily News last month that the city had no evidence or first-person accounts of where Grossman was demonstrating, or confirming she was at the protests at all.

Grossman’s family issued a statement following the release of the final autopsy Friday afternoon saying her death was “due to a previously diagnosed genetic variant of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.”

Grossman graduated from Springboro High School in 2016 and graduated from the Ohio State University in May.

Cox Media Group