CA - Liz Hamel, 18, UC Santa Barbara Student falls to her death from dorm breezeway 20 minutes after leaving restaurant with unknown male, 14 Feb 2025

[Sundog]

New article today. The university police department expects to conclude their investigation "in the coming days".

https://www.sfgate.com/centralcoast/article/liz-hamel-mysterious-death-uc-santa-barbara-20370331.php

This makes me really angry, that the family of Liz Hamel are not getting any information on the investigation by the University of California Police Department. I hope they can get a high powered lawyer who can figure out how to get the case out of the hands of the university police and into the hands of outside LE. The family needs to know what happened to their daughter. I hope their plea to the community will bring forth some new information that will help them figure out what happened.

 

[Bigditch]

This makes me really angry, that the family of Liz Hamel are not getting any information on the investigation by the University of California Police Department. I hope they can get a high powered lawyer who can figure out how to get the case out of the hands of the university police and into the hands of outside LE. The family needs to know what happened to their daughter. I hope their plea to the community will bring forth some new information that will help them figure out what happened.

I thought they had already hired a lawyer.

 

[Sundog]

I thought they had already hired a lawyer.

They did, and he appears to be very good. I'm talking about a high-powered lawyer who would take this case on and really get things moving with his/her name and the media, etc. University police departments can often have difficulty with their dual loyalties, I'd like to see them hand over the case to the state. JMO.

 

[Bigditch]

They did, and he appears to be very good. I'm talking about a high-powered lawyer who would take this case on and really get things moving with his/her name and the media, etc. University police departments can often have difficulty with their dual loyalties, I'd like to see them hand over the case to the state. JMO.

I thought campus police were more or less paid babysitters, hall monitors as such. No professional law enforcement training. Imo

 

[Sundog]

Most states require that their college and university campus police are sworn police officers nowadays. I know that is the law in our state and has been the case for at least the last 20 years or so.

University of California Police Department officers are sworn peace officers with the same training and certification as other sworn peace officers/LE in the state and they can act as peace officers/LE throughout the state.

From article OP posted above:

https://www.sfgate.com/centralcoast/article/liz-hamel-mysterious-death-uc-santa-barbara-20370331.php

The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office told SFGATE that no criminal charges have been sent their way for review. "UCPD has not submitted their investigation to us yet,” Amber Frost, the DA’s executive assistant, told SFGATE on Tuesday.

In a statement sent to SFGATE on Tuesday, UCSB police said the incident remains under investigation and "expects to conclude its process in the coming days."

So maybe the UC Santa Barbara campus police will send criminal charges to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's office once they complete their investigation. Maybe they don't think they have enough for the DA to press charges. I hope that's not the case.

 

[Sundog]

I thought campus police were more or less paid babysitters, hall monitors as such. No professional law enforcement training. Imo

That may still be the case in states that allow some campuses (small ones perhaps) to employ non-sworn security officers, but all the campuses I have worked at have sworn officers and same training and certification and authority, etc. as local and state law enforcement. (Make arrests, conduct investigations, etc.)

 

[lonewanderer]

from the sfgate you linked:
“She, apparently accidentally, left her phone and identification in the restaurant; both were later picked up by friends.”
—-

Odd to have left her phone and ID behind, when for the majority of young people, they are never without their phones. jmo.

Have they done an autopsy/toxicology? Of course, this may turnout to be something entirely different, but reading about this case brought to my memory a case of a college student in CO who jumped from a balcony and died. He had eaten a marijuana edible in cookie form. He was supposed to eat only 1/6 of the cookie, but he ate the whole thing, and had a psychotic reaction. (Link)

There’s been several true crime cases where someone’s so called “friends” takes their things from them so that the victim wouldn’t lose them. That’s the logic anyways but it always seems awful fishy.

An example of this is Kenneka Jenkins who’s “friends” took her keys, phone, and wallet and then let her wonder around a hotel until she accidentally locked herself inside of an industrial sized freezer.

Henry McCabe also allegedly gave his wallet to his friends that let him wander off by himsel

 

[Hexe]

There’s been several true crime cases where someone’s so called “friends” takes their things from them so that the victim wouldn’t lose them. That’s the logic anyways but it always seems awful fishy.

I suspect that in many cases the victim is so intoxicated he or she forgets to take the cellphone amd other effects while leaving a bar/club/whatever and friends just pick these items up. Then, being loyal, do not want the person look bad and lie that the person just left his/her effect with them.

Then there are young girls with helicopter parents, tracing their movements on the find the phone type apps. I suspect that might have been the case with Liz, but the romantic walk she wanted to hide from her parents, turned into nightmare.

 

[cujenn81]

I suspect that in many cases the victim is so intoxicated he or she forgets to take the cellphone amd other effects while leaving a bar/club/whatever and friends just pick these items up. Then, being loyal, do not want the person look bad and lie that the person just left his/her effect with them.

Then there are young girls with helicopter parents, tracing their movements on the find the phone type apps. I suspect that might have been the case with Liz, but the romantic walk she wanted to hide from her parents, turned into nightmare.

I can’t understand a parent who monitors their daughter’s day-to-day comings and goings with a tracking app when she’s off at college. I understand using the app if your daughter doesn’t respond to your calls or messages and you’re worried about her safety. But using it to exert control and/or spy on her? No.

Most teenagers find ways to evade that kind of behavior while living at home, and it seems futile to not expect one living at college to do the same. In my experience, helicoptering only increases rebellious behavior.

Although, I don’t know these parents or their precious child. I don’t know Liz’s past or her family’s cultural or religious beliefs, so It would be unfair of me to pass judgment.

 

[Bigditch]

That may still be the case in states that allow some campuses (small ones perhaps) to employ non-sworn security officers, but all the campuses I have worked at have sworn officers and same training and certification and authority, etc. as local and state law enforcement. (Make arrests, conduct investigations, etc.)

Good to know. Too many bad scenarios on university campuses just waiting to erupt.

 

[Bigditch]

I can’t understand a parent who monitors their daughter’s day-to-day comings and goings with a tracking app when she’s off at college. I understand using the app if your daughter doesn’t respond to your calls or messages and you’re worried about her safety. But using it to exert control and/or spy on her? No.

Most teenagers find ways to evade that kind of behavior while living at home, and it seems futile to not expect one living at college to do the same. In my experience, helicoptering only increases rebellious behavior.

Although, I don’t know these parents or their precious child. I don’t know Liz’s past or her family’s cultural or religious beliefs, so It would be unfair of me to pass judgment.

Teenagers who have been around the block are one step ahead of mom & dad.

 

[Cryptic]

I thought campus police were more or less paid babysitters, hall monitors as such. No professional law enforcement training. Imo

As @Sundog implies, the level of training could depend on the size of the campus. The officers at my daughter's small private school are probably trained to the advanced security guard level.

Meanwhile, UT Austin with 53,000 students and a location in the middle of a mega city that can be attractive to bored 'n loitering "wander in" types is going to have a lot more problems from wayward students and wander ins.

Thus, the UT Austin police force is probably going to be fully sworn law enforcement.

 

[Cryptic]

This makes me really angry, that the family of Liz Hamel are not getting any information on the investigation by the University of California Police Department.

Some of it maybe due to privacy concerns.

At a school welcome meeting, I was informed.... errr reminded by school representatives that an 18 year old student is a legal adult. As adults, they have full privacy rights. These rights are probably retained even when deceased.

As a result, there is information (grades, and probably comings and goings and with who) that the school would not be able to provide to me as a parent with out advance permission from my daughter.

Then factor in that the male in the equation has not been charged with any crime and that police are unsure if a crime occurred at all. He may also be benefiting from privacy rights given the circumstances.

 

[Sundog]

I can’t understand a parent who monitors their daughter’s day-to-day comings and goings with a tracking app when she’s off at college. I understand using the app if your daughter doesn’t respond to your calls or messages and you’re worried about her safety. But using it to exert control and/or spy on her? No.

I don't recall any reports of her mother "monitoring" her comings and goings, or using the app to "spy" on her. I think it is simply a very close family unit and they likely agreed that this would be a safety mechanism as LH went off to college for her first year. Lots of families do this, with agreement by both the parents and the student.

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1998188217791635758

 

[Sundog]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1998188217791635758

I'd like to read more about the ruling. I would think that police investigate, but that the prosecutor's office makes the ruling as to whether or not charges will be brought in a death like this. I wonder if the parents will bring a civil lawsuit against the teenager who presumably was with her when she fell who allegedly left the scene of the death and didn't render any aid or call for help. I hope we will learn more about this in a news piece, not just the few sentences here on X.

Thanks for posting this update though. Thinking of her parents at this very sad time.

 

[Sundog]

https://www.sfgate.com/centralcoast/article/california-student-liz-hamel-death-verdict-21230505.phpf

The parents of Liz Hamel have expressed that the UC Santa Barbara police have a conflict of interest in this case and it has impacted their closing of this case at this time. The family's attorney wants to continue the investigation and it isn't clear if the district attorney has closed the case and made a ruling, according to this article. I hope the parents get justice for Liz. They need to know how this happened.

 

[Bigditch]

I'd like to read more about the ruling. I would think that police investigate, but that the prosecutor's office makes the ruling as to whether or not charges will be brought in a death like this. I wonder if the parents will bring a civil lawsuit against the teenager who presumably was with her when she fell who allegedly left the scene of the death and didn't render any aid or call for help. I hope we will learn more about this in a news piece, not just the few sentences here on X.

Thanks for posting this update though. Thinking of her parents at this very sad time.

I'd actually forgotten about the young man who fled the scene. Hope more information comes to light about this case. Fishy

 

[Bigditch]

https://www.sfgate.com/centralcoast/article/california-student-liz-hamel-death-verdict-21230505.phpf

The parents of Liz Hamel have expressed that the UC Santa Barbara police have a conflict of interest in this case and it has impacted their closing of this case at this time. The family's attorney wants to continue the investigation and it isn't clear if the district attorney has closed the case and made a ruling, according to this article. I hope the parents get justice for Liz. They need to know how this happened.

Conflict of interest? I bet LE know the kid's parents. Jmo

 

[Sundog]

Conflict of interest? I bet LE know the kid's parents. Jmo

The UC Santa Barbara LE were the ones who investigated this case as the fall took place on the UC Santa Barbara campus which is their jurisdiction. That's likely the conflict of interest. They are employed by the University of California at Santa Barbara.

But there could be other factors as well, as you mention.