Victoria Zardoya died of accidental craniocerebral trauma after falling at historic ruins in Florida last month, a medical examiner confirmed Wednesday.
The 20-year-old childhood friend of "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Milania Giudice died on July 27. She sustained a traumatic brain injury in a fall at Fort Dade on Egmont Key on July 24.
A spokesperson for the District 12 Medical Examiner's Office told Us Weekly that the autopsy was delayed for organ donation and completed on August 3.
"The cause of death was Craniocerebral Trauma and the manner of death is Accident," the spokesperson said.
Craniocerebral trauma is a traumatic brain injury caused by an outside force. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke defines it as being caused by a forceful bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body, though not all such impacts result in the condition.
Teresa Giudice remembers Zardoya
Teresa Giudice, Milania's mother and a "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star, spoke with Us Weekly on Wednesday about the loss.
"She just lost her best friend. It's devastating," Giudice said, encouraging fans to pray for Zardoya's family.
The Daily Mail reported reaching out to representatives for Giudice and the medical examiner's office, but had not heard back.
Over the weekend, Teresa Giudice shared an Instagram tribute featuring photos of the pair over the years.
"My sweet beautiful Victoria @_victoriazardoya this just doesn't seem real. You were like a daughter to me and an incredible built in best friend and sister to @milania.ggiudice," she wrote.
Giudice added that seeing the young women follow their dreams at the University of Tampa warmed her heart, knowing they were by each other's side.
She remembered Zardoya as "so full of life - kind, ambitious, and unstoppable," adding that she had the biggest heart and the brightest future ahead of her.
"I can't believe I'm writing this right now. The thought of you not walking through my front door anymore doesn't feel real. It feels like a nightmare I keep hoping I'll wake up from," Giudice wrote.
"Heaven gained one of the most beautiful souls, and I know you'll be watching over all of us. You will be loved, missed, and remembered forever."
Milania Giudice shares tribute
Milania Giudice posted her own Instagram tribute to her friend, recalling that they met when they were four years old and grew up close together.
"My Victoria. My best friend. My sister. My soulmate. My partner in crime. There are no words in any language that could ever describe losing you," she wrote.
"I still wait for your name to pop up on my phone, I still expect to hear your laugh, and I still catch myself wanting to tell you something. My heart keeps forgetting what my mind already knows," she wrote.
She added that "every chapter of my life has your name in it," noting she "would do anything to change" what happened.
"We had too many plans, too many dreams, and too much life left to live together," Milania Giudice wrote.
She thanked Zardoya's parents for giving her "a second family" and noted that the 20-year-old was still giving love.
"Through your organ donation, you are saving 8 lives and giving other families more time with the people they love," she wrote.
"I promise I will keep telling your stories. I will stand beside Alexandra and your family forever. Forever my best friend. Forever my sister. Forever my Victoria. We had one hell of a ride, kid," she added.
Alexandra Zardoya speaks out
Alexandra Zardoya, Victoria's twin sister, shared a tribute last week with photos from their childhood to recent years.
"I can't believe this is real life. Tears are falling down my cheeks as I type every word," she wrote. "My twin sister, my other half, we were in the womb together, and ever since then we have been inseparable."
She described Victoria as the only person who truly understood her, adding that she was "everything and more to me" and a light in everyone's life.
She wrote that her twin's death felt like a "bad dream" she could still wake up from.
"I don't know what I am going to do without you by my side," she wrote. "We shared a life, a heart, a soul, and a love unlike anything I will ever experience again. Half of my heart will forever be broken. It was always supposed to be me and you till the end, Vic."
She remembered her sister as "intelligent, caring, and endlessly empathetic" as well as "the funniest person I knew."
She admired how Zardoya "lived every day in the moment and were unapologetically yourself," writing, "You are my person and no one will ever compare to you."
"You didn't deserve to go so soon. You were only twenty years old. Such a young soul filled with so much life," she wrote.
She added she wished she could hug her sister and hear her voice and laugh again.
"Because of your selfless choice eight people will have a second chance at life. You are a hero, Victoria," she wrote.
At the end of the caption, Alexandra Zardoya promised she would make her sister proud and live out her name every day.
"I'll miss you for eternity, Vic. To the loudest, craziest, funniest, happiest, most loving, and most stunning human being on this planet, I know wherever you are right now, you're living it up. May you rest in peace, my love. Till we meet again, best friend," she concluded.
Details of the Florida fall
Joe Giudice, Milania's father and a "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star, first announced Zardoya's passing, describing it as a "simple fall."
Victoria Silberbusch, a friend of the late student, said Zardoya flew down to Florida to visit friends for the weekend before the incident.
She wrote that Zardoya "sustained fatal injuries due to a devastating fall while we were exploring the historic ruins at Fort Dade on Egmont Key."
Silberbusch said the group initially believed Zardoya only fell one level, "but quickly realized she had fallen much further than we first believed."
"Every single one of us jumped into immediate action," she wrote, adding that everyone "did everything they possibly could to help her."
Zardoya was transported to the hospital by medical helicopter, and Silberbusch noted she "was never alone."
"From the moment she fell, every person did everything in their power to help her. She was surrounded by people who cared, people who fought for her and people who refused to give up hope," Silberbusch wrote.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office told The Daily Mail its Marine Unit responded at 6:08 p.m. on July 24 following reports of a fall from a structure on Egmont Key.
"Zardoya was airlifted to a local hospital in critical condition, where she remained until being pronounced deceased on July 27, 2026," the sheriff's office said.
