By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-05 23:21:04 | Updated at 2026-08-06 00:35:10
1 hour ago
The family of a UCLA sorority sister who died of a fatal fall when she allegedly plunged out of an apartment window are raising new concerns about the circumstances surrounding her death.
UCLA undergrad Dayanara Nicole Urbina Ruiz, 21, died Thursday after allegedly falling from an open window at an apartment building overlooking Seattle’s iconic Burke-Gilman Trail.
The King County Medical Examiner ruled Urbina Ruiz’s death an accident, finding she suffered multiple blunt force injuries after unintentionally falling from the open window of the building along the popular trail.
The Phi Lambda Rho sister was “extremely” intoxicated on alcohol and running around in the street just moments before her fatal fall from the window, a friend of Ruiz said in a frantic 911 call around 9:19 p.m.
The friend then attempted to take Urbina Ruiz, who was working as a summer marketing intern at Amazon Web Services, back into the safety of her apartment in the posh Trailside Seattle Apartments in the University District neighborhood.
“OUTSIDE, REPORTING PARTY’S (RP) EXTREMELY INTOX FRIEND RUNNING AROUND. RP TRYING TO GET HER BACK INSIDE TO HER APARTMENT. SUBJ TRYING TO GET INTO PEOPLE’S VEHS. RUNNING IN THE STREET. INTOX ON ALCOHOL. NO WPNS,” according to a police dispatcher’s notes.
However, Urbina Ruiz’s family don’t believe she would have willingly gotten as intoxicated as described.
“My sister was not like that. She was on the other side of the world last year on an internship. She went to a music festival. She had fun and like I said, she was very responsible. She’s not one to get like she described her sloppy or too drunk. No, that’s not my sister,” Urbina Ruiz’s sister, Catherine, told The Post.
Catherine said she spoke with Urbina Ruiz’s friend who was with her sister in her final moments. She said the friend revealed Urbina Ruiz started drinking around 4 p.m., and became combative when it was time to go back home.
“My sister is the kind of woman that always puts her priorities first. She was not like that. She was absolutely not like that,” Catherine told The Post.
The Trailside apartment building, where Urbina Ruiz lived, markets itself as a “perfect retreat” for busy, up-and-comers who seek “a luxury student apartment community” near University of Washington.
“You’ll enjoy plenty of space to relax, study, and play whether you select a cozy studio or an expansive 5-bedroom to share with your friends,” says a website for the exclusive apartment complex.
The death of Urbina Ruiz left throngs of her classmates shocked and heartbroken, shattering her family.
News of her passing prompted an outpouring of grief from members of Phi Lambda Rho Sorority, Inc., where Urbina Ruiz was a member of the organization’s UCLA chapter.
In a tribute shared on Instagram, the sorority described Urbina Ruiz as a “bright light” and “gentle soul,” remembering her for her kindness and willingness to support those around her.
“Omega Chapter gained a new angel,” the sorority wrote.
The organization said Urbina Ruiz was always willing to help people in need, offering support, hope and compassion, and said her memory would remain a lasting part of the sorority’s sisterhood.
The sorority also extended its condolences to Urbina Ruiz’s family, friends and fellow members of the UCLA chapter as they mourn her death.
Her family has also launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover expenses associated with her final farewell that has almost reached its financial goal of $24,000.
“We’re the Urbina/Ruiz family gathering funds to give Dayanara Nicole Urbina Ruiz a final goodbye as she tragically passed away,” the family wrote on the fundraising page.
The family echoed the sentiments of Urbina Ruiz’s sorority sisters, describing her as “a bright light and a gentle soul” who was always there for anyone in need.
The family expressed gratitude to everyone who contributed and to those keeping Urbina Ruiz in their prayers, saying the support meant a great deal during an incredibly difficult time.
The Burke-Gilman Trail stretches for nearly 20 miles through Seattle and is popular with pedestrians, runners and cyclists.
Urbina Ruiz’s loved ones say her legacy will live on through the people she helped and the community she touched.
