Public Help Sought by Victim’s Family to Locate Suspect in Reported Sexual Assault, Strangulation in Isla Vista

[Updated: May 15, 2026, 11:42am]  

The parents of an 18-year-old UC Santa Barbara freshman went public on Thursday to seek help from the community to identify their daughter’s attacker, including a request that the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office take over the investigation.

The press conference at the Tropicana Garden student dormitory was held by the family’s attorney, Tyrone Maho of Maho & Prentice, LLP. He said a violent sexual assault and strangulation occurred on the evening of May 9 in UCSB housing at the Tropicana dormitory in Isla Vista.

Maho said he’d attempted to contact UCSB Chancellor Dennis Assanis on Tuesday, but Assanis has refused to respond to the family and would not return calls or emails.

The family asked that the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s department take over the investigation, Maho said. They thanked the UCSB Police Department for its efforts, but because UCSB PD has loyalty to the school, Maho questioned why the chancellor would not allow the County Sheriff’s department to take over the investigation.

UCSB media relations manager Kiki Reyes stated that the campus has responded to Maho on multiple occasions, and that UCSB PD works closely with the Sheriff’s Office and the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office, when appropriate.

With the family’s investigator, Michael Claytor of Claytor Investigations, Maho said their main goal was to ask for the community’s help in apprehending the suspect immediately, requesting information, videos, or photos. For witnesses scared to reach out, UCSB has an anonymous tip line: (805) 893-4613.

The UCSB dormitory, Tropicana Gardens, offers freshman dorm-style housing and neighbors a privately owned complex, Tropicana Del Norte, catering to UCSB and Santa Barbara City College students. The doors to the UCSB dorm lock at 8:30 p.m. for safety reasons.

The victim, identified as Jane Doe for privacy purposes, met the suspect at a Sigma Pi fraternity party and had not known them previously before the assault; she fled the dormitory and called 9-1-1.

Maho and Claytor gave a timeline of events: The victim was seen at a party at Sigma Pi between the hours of 9:06 and 10:06 p.m. She was in the area of Embarcadero del Mar and Cervantes Road between 10:06 and 10:36 p.m. The suspect was last seen with the victim at Tropicana Gardens between 10:36 and 11:05 p.m. where the assault occurred. The victim then called 9-1-1.

On May 10, UCSB PD sent out a “Timely Warning” of the assault, stating a report of rape and strangulation was received approximately one hour before 11 p.m. on May 9. No specific location was given.

Members of Sigma Pi have shown cooperation with the police department in the investigation. Maho said the family asked anyone at the Sigma Pi party, near the residence, or Tropicana Gardens the night of Saturday, May 9, to come forward and contact UCSB Police at (805) 893-3446.