17-year-old who died cliff jumping at Bellevue quarry described as ‘brother’ to friends: ‘No parent should ever bury a child’

What This Story Is About

• 17-year-old Evan Marsch died after cliff jumping in Bellevue Sunday night. As the investigation continues, family friends are remembering the rising senior as someone who enjoyed supporting his community.

Why It Matters

• Marsch’s death has left a family grieving and a community wrapping its arms around those closest to him.

What Happens Next

• Metro Councilmember Jason Spain says after speaking with the new property owner of the quarry, plans are underway to better secure the spot to deter future incidents from happening.

For Context

• Marsch’s death marks the first of its kind in recent records to result from cliff jumping at the quarry. Metro Police have responded there three times since last summer, but all three calls were for underage drinking.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Friends and neighbors are rallying around the family of Evan Marsch, the 17-year-old who died after cliff jumping at a Bellevue quarry, as Metro Nashville Police continue to investigate the circumstances of his death.

To those who knew him, Marsch was described as someone who always showed up for others. Ray Felsinger and his wife Tanya considered Marsch a second son and a close friend to their son, Tommy.

“Evan came to my son’s life, and he was shy, and was always ‘Mr. Ray and Mrs. Tanya’ when he was addressing, trying to talk to my son’s parents,” Ray Felsinger said. “Real respectful. Funny guy. He made jokes. He always kept Tommy in line.”

Felsinger said Marsch was welcoming and at ease in their home, and that the family made clear he could always turn to them.

“He was friendly to anyone,” Felsinger said. “When he came into the house, he was always there and felt at home with us.”

“They didn’t just have a friendship; they have a brotherhood. Losing Evan was like losing the brother,” Felsinger said.

On Sunday night, Felsinger said he received a call from Tommy, who was in Oklahoma, telling him to get to Evan’s parents’ house after word spread of a serious accident.

“Heartbreaking the entire way [up]; trying to discern information we were getting — if it was factual [or] second hand,” Felsinger said. He added that Tommy told him, “I can feel it. My brother’s gone.”

What happened to Evan Marsch

Metro police said Marsch died after cliff jumping at a Bellevue quarry. The three teens who were with him resurfaced. Marsch did not.

Metro Councilmember Jason Spain said he learned of the fatality from Metro Police on Saturday evening and has since been in contact with both investigators and the property’s new owners, who closed on the site about a week ago.

“I’ve been in contact with them to make sure they’re taking every possible precaution to make sure it’s secure,” Spain said.

Spain said the new owners plan to add fencing beyond the no trespassing signs already posted on the property. He said construction crews are expected on site within the next month, and that the ongoing presence should reduce unsupervised access.

“Hopefully having people out here on a regular basis will help cut down on folks being back here unsupervised in a dangerous situation,” Spain said.

Spain said the quarry has been a draw for years, but that the terrain and water conditions make it unsafe.

“The terrain around the quarry is not safe. They don’t know how deep the water is and what’s underneath that water,” he said. “And, of course, with no one back here, it’s not an easy place to get to if something goes wrong.”

Spain said the property was rezoned in 2024 with community support to build 90 homes around the quarry. He said the quarry itself will be preserved as a lake and serve as an amenity for both new residents and surrounding neighborhoods, with public access included.

“Hopefully by next summer, it’ll be open to the public for everyone to enjoy safely,” Spain said.

His message to parents and community members in the meantime: Stay out.

“Just please respect the no trespassing signs and the fencing,” Spain said. “Something like this is a terrible reminder of what can go wrong when folks are back here unsupervised.”

Remembering Evan

Those close to Marsch said he was known for his respect toward adults and for acts of generosity, including shaving his head in support of a friend’s parent battling cancer. Felsinger said Marsch was enrolled in guitar history and music appreciation courses for his senior year and had plans centered around music.

“He had a direction in his life he wanted, and the people around him would emulate that. [They’d] get a sense of purpose from him,” Felsinger said.

Felsinger described Marsch as the “idea guy” in his friend group — someone who played rugby, valued camaraderie and helped set the tone for those around him.

“He was responsible for a lot of the good behavior you’ve seen in the group of friends they had,” Felsinger said.

Tanya Felsinger said Marsch also wrote and recorded his own music. She said his friends plan to release it when his family is ready.

“When the boys release his music as part of his legacy, please listen to it,” Tanya Felsinger said. “Because it’s amazing.”

Fundraiser launched for the family

Ray Felsinger said he set up an online fundraiser for Marsch’s family at 3 a.m. the morning after the accident, after getting approval from Evan’s mother. The campaign raised more than $15,000 in under 48 hours.

“If you can give $5 ... that’ll buy a snack for one of the little siblings he’s leaving behind. ...Five hundred dollars, that’ll buy some bill for them,” Felsinger said.

Felsinger said the family faces funeral costs and lost income during the grieving period, and that donations through the GoFundMe go directly to the family.

“They’re not going to have the income on their own for the next grieving period, however long that may be for them,” he said. “All I did was publish it for a great child to help a family that’s hurting.”

Felsinger said those who want to help should use the fundraiser rather than contacting the family directly.

“A family going through this doesn’t need strangers trying to force their help on them,” he said. “No parent should ever bury a child.”