Sketches have been released for the first time of two men suspected of beating and raping a 19-year-old woman on the UC Santa Barbara campus.
Police are searching for two Asian males in their early 20s. One is described as being tall with a thin build and medium-length black hair; the other is described as short with a medium build and may have been wearing a red shirt during the Feb. 23 attack.
The men’s faces are shown on a "Wanted" flyer which campus police said they will hand out while canvassing the UCSB and Isla Vista area for help finding the pair.
They’re suspected of pushing a student to the ground, beating then raping her in the early morning hours of Feb. 23, according to UCSB police. The brutal attack marked the second gang rape in the area in two months.
Investigators found items belonging to the survivor and her assailants Wednesday morning in a "semi-secluded area on the edge of the UCSB campus," the university said in a statement.
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Because the discovery happened on campus, the investigation now will be handled by the UCSB Police Department in conjunction with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
The attack prompted campus officials to beef up police patrols on campus and in the surrounding community. The university said it will install better lighting and more security cameras across its 1,055-acre campus.
Situated along the Santa Barbara coast – about 100 miles northwest of downtown LA, UCSB has nearly 22,000 students.
Anyone with information in the case is urged to call 805-893-3446. Anonymous tips can be reported by calling 805-681-4171.
