Woman's death at UTPA still a mystery

EDINBURG — The Science Building at the University of Texas-Pan American will remain closed until noon today as investigators continue to search for clues in the death of a woman whose body was found at the foot of an external staircase Monday morning.
Campus police waited for the results of an autopsy scheduled for Monday evening to shed light on the circumstances surrounding the woman’s “suspicious” death, said university spokeswoman Sandra Quintanilla.
UTPA police, Edinburg police officers and Texas Rangers, had not identified her as of 7 p.m. Monday, making it impossible to determine if she was a UTPA student.
Construction workers found the woman, believed to be in her early 20s, shortly before 8 a.m., according to a campus news release.
Officers quickly roped off the area where a pool of blood was visible and evacuated the building, canceling all its classes for the day.
Sophomore Beatrice Jaimez, 19, walked to her 8:45 a.m. biology class as officers began collecting evidence outside.
“I didn’t think anything of it,” she said.
It wasn’t until an officer stopped her as she made her way to the second floor of the Science Building, where her classroom is located, that she realized something strange was going on.
“He asked us to evacuate the building and sent us to the library for answers to our questions,” Jaimez said.
A crowd of students gathered there, worried about classes, exams and pending assignments, she added.
Meanwhile, investigators searched the three-story building for evidence of the cause and manner of the woman’s death.
They sent a text message “Bronc Alert” to nearly 18,000 students, faculty and staff about 8:50 a.m. informing them about the situation and asking them to stay away from the east building on the campus’ east side.
Police were looking into the possibility of that the woman fell to her death.
Justice of the Peace Charlie Espinoza pronounced her dead at 8:45 a.m. and ordered an autopsy.
The woman appeared to be Hispanic with dark brown hair, he said. She wore a hooded sweatshirt and jeans, but did not carry identification.
Espinoza did not see any sign of a possible stabbing or shooting, but he was not allowed to inspect the body as officers continued to gather evidence, he added.
UTPA’s Counseling and Psychological Services is also making staff available to the university community in light of the death — the first reported there since 1996 when a female student drowned.