UCSB staff member identified as man who died at Campus Point

ISLA VISTA, Calif. - The UCSB Police Department has released the identity of the man who died at Campus Point on Thursday.

52-year-old Geoff Jewel was a staff member who worked at Bren Hall, UCSB's School for Environmental Science and Management. Jewel passed away the evening of Nov. 12 near the Campus Point bluffs.

Police said Jewel's autopsy was completed on Monday by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff Coroner's Office, however, no details on what they found were immediately available.

Police are investigating Jewel's death as suspicious.

The incident happened around 5:14 p.m. on Thursday. Officers responded to the area of Campus Point after receiving reports that an assault had taken place.

Upon arriving, police located Jewel's unconscious body on the ground near the bluffs. Life-saving efforts were administered, however, Jewel sadly passed away from his injuries.

Police began investigating the circumstances around Jewel's death and found witnesses who claimed a verbal or physical exchange had taken place between Jewel and another individual that night.

UC police released an emergency alert regarding an assault suspect and began searching the area for a man described as being in his early 40's with ashen-brown hair and three-days growth of beard. The man was also described as wearing dark clothes and carrying a brown guitar.

A few hours later, around 8:30 p.m., police announced they had located and detained a person of interest. That person was interviewed by detectives.

No arrests have yet been made in connection to this case.

Anyone who has any information about the incident is urged to contact UCSB Police at 805-893-3446.