The February death of 18-year-old student Liz Hamel was determined to be an accidental fall, the UC Santa Barbara Police Department said in a short statement Friday.
“Based on the totality of the exhaustive investigation, which entailed a systematic review and account of all available information and numerous interviews, including a person of interest identified during the course of the investigation, it is the department’s conclusion that the incident was an accidental fall that resulted in the student’s passing,” UCPD said in the statement. “Our hearts and thoughts are with the family and friends who have suffered a terrible loss.”
Hamel died after a fall on Valentine’s Day. She left a restaurant and bar that night with an unknown individual and about 20 minutes later, was found on the ground at the foot of the San Rafael Mountain Cluster, a UCSB on-campus dorm.
Someone walking by tried to help her and called 9-1-1. She died six days later.
Her parents hired a private investigator who eventually identified a person of interest, the man seen with Hamel the night of the fall. UCPD was the lead investigating agency in the case and had made few statements until Friday.
“Out of respect for the privacy of the family, we do not have any additional information to share,” the statement said. “UCPD is grateful for the assistance of the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office and the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office throughout the investigation.”
Noozhawk has reached out to Hamel’s family and attorney. Please check back to Noozhawk for updates.
Hamel was a freshman student at UCSB from Bellevue, Washington.
A day after the UCPD statement, the Hamel family and attorney put out a statement.
From Liz’ father, Alain Hamel:
“We are aware of UCSB Police’s conclusion, but we still have unanswered questions about how Liz died. We will continue working with our counsel and the appropriate authorities to ensure that all available evidence is carefully reviewed. On the human side, my wife and I are devastated. Liz was our only child and we are still trying to understand how to go on without her.”
Tyrone Maho, Hamel family’s counsel, and Michael Claytor, of Claytor Investigations said in a statement:
“We believe that there remains critical evidence to obtain, and we disagree with the UCSB Police Department statement that there can be a conclusion made in connection with Ms. Hamel’s death. We are aware of key inconsistencies that remain unaddressed, creating more questions than answers. Further, we are concerned that there may be an inherent conflict of interest with the UCSB Police Department investigating this matter, and we could potentially be dealing with a biased review of the events that occurred on February 14, 2025. Our own investigation continues.”
