Karolina Zydziak
Staff Writer
A decomposed body was found by University of California Santa Barbara maintenance workers at approximately 9:45 a.m. on May 10. Investigators were dispatched to the marsh area between the Santa Catalina Residence Hall and Santa Ynez apartments.
The identity as well as the gender of the individual remains currently unknown, however after examination by the coroner’s office, which could take up to a couple weeks, it should be made readily available. Rob Romero, detective sergeant of the University of California Santa Barbara Police Department, assures the students and community of Isla Vista that there is currently no report of missing students.
“We’re working with the Sheriff’s Department and the Santa Barbara City Police Department to make sure they don’t have any [students] that are [part] of our campus that are missing,” said Romero.
There appears to be no connection between the recent spike in crime activity in Isla Vista and this specific incident.
“Nothing right now is indicating that, however, everything is open right now. We haven’t investigated completely,” said Romero.
As of press time, no new details regarding how long the body has been there have emerged and all that is known is that it is badly decomposed. Students can rest assured that they are in no danger as long as they take precaution.
“We encourage people to walk in groups, know who you’re with. We have a Community Service Officer Program that will walk people to and from locations in and around the university,” said Romero.
Yet, with the recent reports of crime occurring in Isla Vista, students still remain on edge.
“I feel like Santa Barbara is considered such a safe area and it’s crazy to consider that something like this can happen and it’s shocking,” said Allison Salazar, a first-year English major. “Especially since we’re freshmen and we’re off campus a lot of us don’t realize how dangerous it is to live on your own.”
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