COLLEGE CRIME

Homicide Victim ID’d as UT-Austin Dance Student

Haruka Weiser, a freshman, was found dead Tuesday.

Officials have identified the victim of an Austin homicide as a University of Texas freshman theater and dance student named Haruka Weiser. The 18-year-old's body was found Tuesday on campus, and Austin police are working with UT officers on the investigation, which authorities are treating as a homicide. UT President Gregory Fenves released a statement Thursday identifying Weiser. “Her death is a tragic loss for the UT community,” Fenves said. “The unthinkable brutality against Haruka is an attack on our entire family.” She was found in a creek bed area near the school’s alumni center and football stadium.

Police later released surveillance footage showing a 6-foot-tall black male with a bicycle as a "person of interest" walking near where Weiser was later discovered. The video notes a sport utility vehicle that passes through the frame, hoping its driver can help with the investigation.