UCSB Body from 2012 Identified

SANTA BARBARA – UCSB Campus Police have wrapped up a nearly year-long investigation into the discovery of a body near the Santa Catalina dorms.The grim discovery was made by a campus employee just before 10 am on May 10th of last year.A team of campus police and forensics experts cordoned off the marsh area between the twin towers and the Santa Ynez Apartments, searching the tall reeds where the body was found.At the time, it was unknown whether the body was that of a student. Some openly questioned whether the death was linked to a drug overdose, or possibly, murder. Police were tight-lipped and labeled the death as “suspicious.”After an eight month investigation, UCSB Police Sgt. Rob Romero identified the decedent as Thomas Lee Broad, a 63-year-old transient known to frequent the Isla Vista area. Romero told KEY News, a grocery store tag and meticulous DNA work by the Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau helped identify the nearly mummified remains. Broad’s next of kin in Northern California was saddened by the news. “They knew about his lifestyle. It was his choice,” Romero said. “They were in contact. They miss him.”Romero said advanced decomposition made it impossible to determine an exact cause of death, however, there were no signs of foul play.