Father presses for answers in college freshman daughter's death after fall from dorm: 'She was our world'

Fox News

03-05-2025

A Washington state father is pressing for answers about the investigation into his 18-year-old daughter's on-campus death at a California university earlier this year.
Liz Hamel, 18, was found unconscious outside a dorm on the campus of the University of California Santa Barbara Feb. 14 after apparently falling from a breezeway. She died days later.
But what happened leading up to her death remains a mystery.
"Over the past few months, we've been briefed by UC Santa Barbara PD, and they've been very kind to us. They've been … empathetic. But, of course, since it's an ongoing investigation, they can't give us a tremendous amount of details," Alain Hamel, Liz's father, told Fox News "America Reports" co-anchor Sandra Smith in an interview Friday.
Hamel, who lives in Seattle, told Fox News his family reached out to the community this week for help finding a man who was with his daughter the night she fell. Within 24 hours, university police were able to talk to the person of interest.
"I think it was incredibly successful. … I can't say enough for Santa Barbara. It was so fast. They really helped us so much to move the investigation forward," Hamel said. "I'm not the police. I am on the outside, but it seems like they really moved it forward."
"An individual who was identified in relation to the incident at our residence hall has been located and interviewed," UC Santa Barbara said in a statement. "The investigation is still ongoing, and we cannot discuss any additional details at this time. UCPD is keeping the family informed and is working closely with (the) Santa Barbara District Attorney's Office.
"UCPD is committed to continue its comprehensive investigation to seek answers related to this tragic event and has been working closely with the district attorney's office and the sheriff's office since the early stages of the investigation."
Hamel said he doesn't know the man who was with his daughter and neither did his daughter's friends. He is not a suspect in her death.
Hamel said, as far as he knows, they met at a noodle bar that night, "and they hit it off, and it was Valentine's Day. So, I think that might've had something to do with it. And, yeah, they were photographed together only from a certain angle. And then they left a little after 10:06 (p.m.). And then, to my knowledge, at 10:27 is when she was found unconscious, having fallen from that breezeway."
"She was great," Hamel said of his daughter. "She was our world. She's our only child. And she was everything to us. She was a real joy. And you know, we were so lucky to have 18 years with her. We wish we had more time."
A tipline is available at 805-335-3851 for anyone with information surrounding Liz's death.