Police: Body Found On UT Campus Is 18-Year-Old Female Student
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Campus President Greg Fenves and Austin police identified the victim Thursday as 18-year-old Haruka Weiser, from Portland, Oregon. Investigators are treating her slaying as a homicide.
Fenves called it a "horrifying and incomprehensible crime" calling the "unthinkable brutality against Haruka ... an attack on our entire family."
Police have released no information on how she died.
UT President Gregory L. Fenves issued a statement that said, in part:
"Haruka was a beloved member of our dance community, liked and admired by her classmates and respected by professors for her intelligence and spirit. Dance faculty members first met Haruka more than two years ago when she performed at the National High School Dance Festival. They immediately began recruiting her to come to UT from her home in Portland, Oregon. Our community was made better by her decision to join the College of Fine Arts.
Trained in ballet, Haruka excelled in all her performance endeavors. She was also involved in Dance Action, a student-run organization for dancers, and performed in the fall Dance Action concert.
UTPD first learned that Haruka was missing on Monday morning and immediately began a search. As I reported in my message to campus yesterday, Austin police are leading the homicide investigation into this horrifying and incomprehensible crime and working with UTPD and other law enforcement agencies."
Weiser was found in Waller Creek, behind the alumni center and football stadium Tuesday morning.
Fenves says campus authorities are working with Austin police "to locate and apprehend a suspect quickly."
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