UPDATE [5/21/2026, 12:10] This article was updated to include a new statement from Chancellor Assanis and community responses to the situation.
Disclaimer, this article contains mentions of sexual violence.
Over a week after a rape and strangulation that occured in UC Santa Barbara campus housing on May 9, the perpetrator remains at large.
The victim and perpetrator allegedly met at the Sigma Pi Fraternity house before the attack occurred at Tropicana Gardens. Courtesy The Channels
On May 14, Tyrone Maho, the attorney representing the victim — a first-year UCSB student referred to as “Jane Doe” — and her family, shared a statement with the Daily Nexus. According to Maho, Doe met the attacker at a party at the Sigma Pi fraternity house between 9:06-10:06 p.m. After, Doe was in the area of Embarcadero del Mar and Cervantes Road before reaching Tropicana Gardens around 10:36 p.m. There, Doe was assaulted and called 911 at around 11:00 p.m.
Maho and Private Investigator Michael Claytor hosted a press conference at Tropicana Gardens on May 14 where they asked for the public’s assistance with the investigation. Maho said that they have called on Chancellor Dennis Assanis to request the help of the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office, but he has not yet responded at the time of this article’s publication.
According to an email from UCSB media spokesperson Kiki Reyes, the UCSB campus legal counsel “responded multiple times” to Maho’s request and “UCPD has been in direct contact with the survivor’s family since the early stages of the investigation.”
“Federal law and university policy prevent us from discussing specifics of a case,” the email read. “We remain fully committed to protecting the privacy of the survivor and their family while providing them with continuous support and resources.”
In a campus wide email sent on May 20, Assanis highlighted safety enhancements that administration has worked on including “investments in technology, safety infrastructure, and mental health personnel.”
“The recent disturbing report of a sexual assault in the Isla Vista area against a member of our community is a reminder that we must continually strengthen our efforts. We condemn and will not tolerate any form of sexual or gender-based violence, and we are fully committed to holding perpetrators accountable under applicable university policies,” the statement read. “Our UCPD also works closely with local law enforcement during investigations and refers cases to the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.”
Also on May 20 in an Instagram post, Associated Students Take Back The Night, a student group that promotes sexual assault education, called on community members to email Assanis and demand that he speak to the survivor’s family and attorney. The post also highlighted the University of Delaware’s handling of domestic and sexual violence while Assanis served as president, which drew criticism and student protests.
UCSB Police Department is actively investigating this crime and urges anyone who may have information that might assist its investigation to contact UCSB Police Department at 805-893-3446, or report the information anonymously on their website.
The Nexus will continue to report on this topic as more information becomes available.
A version of this article appeared on p. 3 of the May 21 print edition of the Daily Nexus.
Why is there no description of the rapist?
And how is it he was at the Sigma Pi party and is not yet identified?
Since when do fraternities let random guys into their parties?
And did Sigma Pi serve alcohol to the 18-year-old victim?
So many questions and so little information.