The body of a woman found on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin has been identified as that of an 18-year-old student, Haruka Weiser.
While authorities have yet to apprehend a suspect, the Austin Police Department has identified a possible suspect: a man seen walking a bicycle in the area around where the freshman’s body was found.
Authorities have since released video of the suspect which was recorded on Sunday.
Austin Police Assistance Chief Troy Gay was quoted by NBC News as having said at a news conference on Thursday that the suspect’s identity is currently unknown and that the authorities will “definitely” need the community’s support.
At this time, we do not know the identity of the suspect and we definitely will need the support of our community […] We know that the public will step up as they do in every case and help us identify the suspect
UT-Austin President Greg Fenves indicated on Twitter that he’s “devastated” to find out that the homicide victim was a student at the university.
I am devastated to learn that our student Haruka Weiser has been identified as the victim of the homicide. https://t.co/47BasRH3vb
— Greg Fenves (@gregfenves) April 7, 2016
The recently released surveillance footage shows a man wearing a backpack and pushing a bicycle.
Weiser’s body was discovered on Tuesday after her roommate’s reported her missing. Her body was discovered in a creek located on campus.
Police have pieced together a timeline which shows that the victim left her dormitory between 9:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. on Sunday night, Fox News reported.
While it was initially apparent to investigators that there was criminality involved in her slaying, an autopsy conducted on her remains has since confirmed that she was indeed the victim of a homicide.
