TW for suicide.
In a tragic news story that is still a developing, a fan perished this past weekend during the final Maryland Deathfest for now. The fan apparently committed suicide by leaping 7 stories from the parking structure next to the Balitmore Soundstage during MDF. From a combination of fans and friends messaging us and commenting on our initial story online, we have learned the fans’s name was Axel James Markle, from Pennsylvania. They posted a message to their personal Facebook as a goodbye, right before they died. There were many eye-witnesses to the incident and we have tried to be conscious of Axel’s memory, his family, and the fans that witnessed this incident in our reporting, only sharing the facts that have been passed on to us. Axel was apparently a fixture in both the Pittsburgh and Chicago metal scenes, worked at a home for the elderly, and was much loved by many in their community. This is no fault of Maryland Deathfest, who does not manage the venues or the parking structure, of course, but we will continue to track this story and update fans when we learn more information. The family has launched a GoFundMe to help with expenses, and we have shared the link below. Please donate if you can. We send our deepest condolences out to Axel’s family, and friends, as well as anyone who suffered a trauma or PTSD as a result of this.
https://youtube.com/shorts/V4cUaNVcTHE
National suicide hotline:
800-273-8255
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/