A woman found murdered on the campus of the University of Texas was identified on Thursday as Haruka Weiser, a first-year theatreand dance student.
She was found on Tuesday morning in Waller creek, a body of water that runs through the heart of the Austin campus near the Longhorns football stadium. Police said in a press conference on Thursday they had not identified a man they described as a suspect.
Weiser was last seen alive leaving the drama building on Sunday night at about 9.30pm, to head back to her dormitory. The 18-year-old was reported missing on Monday morning and campus police began a search. The Austin police department is now leading the investigation.
Police released a video of a man described as about 6ft who was cycling on a red bicycle on the campus late on Sunday night and was in the area for several hours. A spokesman said that Weiser was assaulted and that no weapon had been recovered but declined to release any more details.
Police patrols were stepped up on campus. The university provided shuttles for students involved in evening activities and urged people to walk in groups after dark and stay on clearly marked paths.
The university president Gregory Fenves called Weiser’s death “unimaginable brutality” and said extra patrols would be ongoing and university police would expand a programme escorting students across campus. He said he had asked the Texas department of public safety to conduct an extensive safety review including analysis of video monitoring and lighting.
Weiser trained in ballet in Beaverton, Oregon.
“Every time before a show, for me at least, it gets really rough,” she told a reporter in 2014. “I’ll be like, ‘I want to quit. I never want to dance again.’ And as soon as the show happens, I’m back in it.
“It really is a rush. There really is nothing like it, and it is so short. To people who maybe are more logical than me, it’s not worth it. But somehow that cycle of it just keeps happening over and over again and keeps you going.”
Fenves described her as “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.”
Nearly 51,000 students are enrolled at the university, which is close to the heart of downtown Austin. According to the Austin American-Statesman, this is the first on-campus homicide investigation since Charles Whitman killed 14 people in a mass shooting nearly 50 years ago. The most recent homicide on university property happened in 1996.
In a statement, Weiser’s family said: “Haruka was a passionate and dedicated dancer and a student, she was so happy to be a student at UT and was looking forward to the chance to perform again as a dance major … she was taken from us too soon. We will forever miss her.”
