Leah Pearse: Massachusetts woman, 20, dies after falling from balcony on third floor of Airbnb
CANCUN, MEXICO: During a vacation in Mexico, a student of Simmons University, Boston, died in a freak accident on January 6. Leah "Lee" Pearse, 20, reportedly tried to access her Airbnb through the third-floor balcony because the keys had been locked inside. Tragically, she tripped and fell.
Pearse graduated from Haverhill High School in 2020 and was a junior at Simmons studying nursing. Her death left the university "heartbroken," according to University President Lynn Perry Wooten, CBS News reported. According to the NY Post, she was vacationing with her boyfriend, 21-year-old Augustine Robert Aufderheide of Prince Frederick, Maryland. He was initially arrested by Mexican cops after he told them that he got into an argument with her before she fell and died. However, he was let off later after they ruled her death as an accident.
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"Known for her confidence, compassion, and sense of humor, Leah brought out the best in others. Her lifelong goal was to become a nurse and she was an outstanding student in the accelerated five-year Bachelor of Science and Master of Science nursing degree program," Wooten said in a statement Thursday, January 12, adding, "We extend our deepest thoughts and condolences to Leah's family, friends, and all those in our community impacted by this tragedy. Counseling and support services are available for students and employees."
Who was Leah Pearse?
Pearse was born on August 11, 2002, in Newburyport, Massachusetts. According to Driscoll's Obituary, "She was a magnificent woman who embraced the full spectrum of human emotions with such depth and compassion for others that her presence was dazzling and brilliant for everyone who knew her." She started working at Mass General Hospital as a certified nursing assistant when she was 18. In addition, she was earning a five-year Master's in Nursing at Simmons College while also working as a certified nursing assistant.
In school, Pearse participated in student government, MC'd coffeehouses, played JV lacrosse and served as co-captain of the girls' swim team. She is survived by her mother Amy Goldfarb, sister Anna, grandmother Judy and father Reggie (Haverhill).
Recalling their last conversation, Reggie said, “I just said to her, ‘Be careful,’ and she said, ‘I’ll try, Dad.'" Anna reportedly said, "She was extremely unpredictable, extremely quirky, extremely funny," as per the NY Post. Anna claimed that her sister's last moments were joyfully spent with her boyfriend. “All day, they were singing, ‘That’s Amore.' She was so in love with him,” she said.