Harris’ boyfriend was sitting in the front passenger seat and was able to steer the car off of the highway and stop it. 22-year-old Marisa Harris of Olney was a graduate student at Marymount University who wanted to help kids combating depression. graduated summa cum laude from Towson University before beginning her graduate program at Marymount University.
The overpass from where the boy jumped
She was studying mental health counseling. “She was caring – I mean she had an absolute love for children,” Leigh Miller, Harris’ mother, said. “She was loved by her friends, she was dearly loved by her family, she was admired by her peers, she was just a shining star.” Harris had a passion for working with children with severe behavioral problems, they said. The family as Marisa came from a “long line of psychologists. The boy who jumped on her car killing her was transported to Fairfax Inova Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police are investigating the incident as a suicide attempt. I-66 between Nutley Street and Gallows road was closed for several hours while police investigated the incident.