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Student found unconscious near a forest party; rape investigation opened

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CAsexual assaulttimely warninghigh confidence
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Under Investigation

A UC Santa Cruz student was found unconscious near a large party in the Upper Campus forest on the night of Friday, February 10, 2023, and was determined to have been raped. UCSC Police issued a Clery Timely Warning Crime Bulletin with an unusually detailed suspect description. The case unfolded against a later-confirmed history of UCSC underreporting Clery sex-offense statistics.

Alerts
1
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
University of California, Santa Cruz
Public R1 · CA
All UCSC cases →
~18,800 studentsUCSC CruzAlert / Timely Warning Crime Bulletin
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Verified verbatimUCSC News, Timely Warning Crime Bulletin: Sexual assault, February 2023939 chars
Timely Warning Crime Bulletin: Sexual assault UC Santa Cruz police officers are investigating a rape that occurred late Friday night in the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus. The female victim and friends were at a large party in the woods. Around midnight, the friends found the woman passed out and brought her to the fire station on campus for medical attention. The woman shared with her friends that she had been sexually assaulted. The suspect is described as a young white man, approximately 5-foot, 10-inches tall with short brown hair and brown eyes. For information about the investigation, contact Detective Paul DeOcampo at ppdeocam@ucsc.edu, or provide information through the UCPD Tip Line at 831-459-3847. Information can be kept confidential. This Timely Warning Crime Bulletin is being issued in compliance with the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act.
UCSC's Upper Campus is a large forested area used informally for outdoor parties, disclosing 'forest at the residential campus' is unusual location framing for a Clery alert
The phrase 'found her passed out' is candid about the survivor's incapacitation without explicitly using clinical or legal terms like 'unconscious' or 'incapacitated'
Detailed suspect description ('young white man, approximately 5-foot, 10-inches tall with short brown hair and brown eyes') is rare in acquaintance-context alerts and typical of stranger-context alerts
Friends bringing the victim to the campus fire station for medical attention reflects the [CARE advocacy program](https://care.ucsc.edu/) and student-network informal response patterns
UCSC was [later found by a 2024 California State Auditor's report](https://lookout.co/uc-santa-cruz-reported-inaccurate-crime-statistics-state-auditors-report-finds) to have underreported Clery sex-offense statistics, institutional context for any UCSC sexual-assault alert from this period
Verbatim text recovered from the news.ucsc.edu Timely Warning Crime Bulletin page, narrative paragraph, suspect description, and Detective DeOcampo / 831-459-3847 tip-line contact are preserved as published
Message elements

How the first alert is built

To check this alert, Claude (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.

Timely Warning Crime Bulletin: Sexual assault UC Santa Cruz police officers are investigating a rape that occurred late Friday night in the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus. The female victim and friends were at a large party in the woods. Around midnight, the friends found the woman passed out and brought her to the fire station on campus for medical attention. The woman shared with her friends that she had been sexually assaulted. The suspect is described as a young white man, approximately 5-foot, 10-inches tall with short brown hair and brown eyes. For information about the investigation, contact Detective Paul DeOcampo at ppdeocam@ucsc.edu, or provide information through the UCPD Tip Line at 831-459-3847. Information can be kept confidential. This Timely Warning Crime Bulletin is being issued in compliance with the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act.

  • Sourcepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree the source is present, naming UC Santa Cruz police and UCPD as investigating.

    Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It names "UC Santa Cruz police officers" as investigating.
    2. present: It names "UC Santa Cruz police" as the investigating authority.
    3. present: It names "UC Santa Cruz police officers" and "UCPD".
    4. present: It names "UC Santa Cruz police officers" and "UCPD".
    5. present: It names "UC Santa Cruz police" and UCPD as the sender.
    6. present: It opens "Timely Warning Crime Bulletin" and names "UC Santa Cruz police officers", identifying the source.
    7. present: It names "UC Santa Cruz police officers", a responding authority.
    8. present: It names "UC Santa Cruz police officers", the issuing authority.
    9. present: "UC Santa Cruz police officers" and "UCPD" identify the sender.
    10. present: It names "UC Santa Cruz police officers" and "UCPD".
    11. present: It names "UC Santa Cruz police officers" and the "UCPD Tip Line".
    12. present: The branded "Timely Warning Crime Bulletin" and "UC Santa Cruz police" identify the sender.
    13. present: It names "UC Santa Cruz police officers" and "UCPD".
    14. present: It names "UC Santa Cruz police officers" and "UCPD", the issuing authority.
    15. present: It names "UC Santa Cruz police officers" and "UCPD".
    16. present: It names "UC Santa Cruz police officers" and "UCPD", identifying the authority.
    17. present: It names "UC Santa Cruz police", the investigating authority.
    18. present: It names "UC Santa Cruz police officers" and "UCPD".
    19. present: It names "UC Santa Cruz police officers" and "UCPD".
    20. present: It names "UC Santa Cruz police officers" and "UCPD".
    21. present: It names "UC Santa Cruz police officers" and UCPD, the authority.
    22. present: Names "UC Santa Cruz police officers".
    23. present: Names "UC Santa Cruz police officers" as the investigating authority.
    24. present: "UC Santa Cruz police officers" and "UCPD" identify the sending authority.
    25. present: It names "UC Santa Cruz police officers" and "UCPD".
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous that a specific hazard is named, a sexual assault and rape.

    What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It names "Sexual assault" and "a rape", a specific hazard.
    2. present: It names "a rape", a specific crime.
    3. present: It names "a rape", a specific crime.
    4. present: It names "a rape", a specific threat.
    5. present: It names "a rape" and "Sexual assault", a specific hazard.
    6. present: It names "a rape" and "Sexual assault", a specific hazard.
    7. present: It names "Sexual assault" and "a rape", a specific threat.
    8. present: It names a "rape" and "Sexual assault", a specific threat.
    9. present: It names a "rape"/"Sexual assault", a specific threat.
    10. present: It names "Sexual assault" and "a rape", a specific threat.
    11. present: It names "Sexual assault" and "a rape", a specific threat.
    12. present: It names "Sexual assault" and "a rape", specific hazards.
    13. present: It names "a rape", a specific threat.
    14. present: It names "Sexual assault" and "a rape", a specific crime.
    15. present: It names "a rape" and sexual assault, a specific threat.
    16. present: It names "a rape" and sexual assault, a specific crime.
    17. present: It names "a rape" and sexual assault, a specific threat.
    18. present: It names "Sexual assault" and "a rape", a specific crime hazard.
    19. present: It names a "rape" and sexual assault, a specific threat.
    20. present: It names "a rape", a specific crime.
    21. present: It names "Sexual assault" and "a rape", a specific crime.
    22. present: Names "a rape" / "Sexual assault".
    23. present: Names a "rape" and "Sexual assault", a specific threat.
    24. present: It names "a rape"/"Sexual assault", a specific threat.
    25. present: It describes "a rape", a specific crime.
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous that a location is given, the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus.

    Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It locates it "in the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus".
    2. present: It locates it "in the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus".
    3. present: It locates it "in the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus".
    4. present: It says "the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus".
    5. present: It locates it "in the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus".
    6. present: It specifies "the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus", a location.
    7. present: It locates it in "the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus", a specific place.
    8. present: It names "the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus".
    9. present: It locates it "in the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus".
    10. present: It locates it "in the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus".
    11. present: It specifies "the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus".
    12. present: It names "the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus".
    13. present: It locates it "in the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus".
    14. present: It names "the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus", a specific place.
    15. present: It locates it "in the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus".
    16. present: It names "the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus", a specific place.
    17. present: It says "the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus", a specific place.
    18. present: It locates it "in the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus".
    19. present: It locates it "in the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus".
    20. present: It locates it "in the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus".
    21. present: It locates it "in the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus".
    22. present: Names "the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus".
    23. present: Locates it "in the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus".
    24. present: It names "the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus", a specific place.
    25. present: It locates it "in the Upper Campus forest at the residential campus".
  • Guidanceabsent0/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous that no protective action is given; it only narrates the incident and offers contact info.

    The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. absent: It narrates the past incident but gives recipients no protective action.
    2. absent: It gives contact info but no protective action to recipients.
    3. absent: It gives contact tips but no protective action to recipients.
    4. absent: No protective action is directed at recipients, only a narrative and contact info.
    5. absent: It gives investigation contacts but no protective instruction to recipients.
    6. absent: It gives contact info for tips but provides recipients no protective action.
    7. absent: It narrates the event and gives contact info but no protective action to recipients.
    8. absent: It narrates the incident and gives recipients no protective action.
    9. absent: No protective action is directed at recipients; it only narrates and asks for tips.
    10. absent: It describes the investigation but gives recipients no protective action.
    11. absent: It narrates the investigation but gives recipients no protective action.
    12. absent: No protective action is directed to recipients; it asks only for information.
    13. absent: It gives contact info but no protective action to recipients.
    14. absent: It gives investigation contacts but no protective-action instruction to recipients.
    15. absent: It gives contact info but no protective instruction to recipients.
    16. absent: It narrates the investigation but gives recipients no protective action.
    17. absent: It describes the investigation but gives no protective action instruction.
    18. absent: It gives investigation contacts but no protective action to recipients.
    19. absent: It gives investigation contacts but no protective instruction to recipients.
    20. absent: It gives contact info but gives recipients no protective action.
    21. absent: It asks for information but gives no protective instruction to recipients.
    22. absent: Provides investigation contacts but no protective action to recipients.
    23. absent: No protective action is instructed; it gives investigative contact info only.
    24. absent: It describes the past incident and gives a tip line but no protective action instruction.
    25. absent: It only narrates the incident and investigation; no protective instruction is given.
  • Timepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous that recency cues are present, late Friday night and around midnight.

    When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It refers to "late Friday night" and "Around midnight", recency cues.
    2. present: It states "late Friday night" and "Around midnight".
    3. present: It gives recency, "late Friday night" and "Around midnight".
    4. present: It says "late Friday night" and "Around midnight".
    5. present: It conveys time, "late Friday night" and "Around midnight".
    6. present: It states the rape "occurred late Friday night" and "Around midnight", specific timing.
    7. present: It conveys timing with "late Friday night" and "Around midnight".
    8. present: It references "late Friday night" and "Around midnight".
    9. present: It gives timing, "late Friday night" and "Around midnight".
    10. present: It gives a time, "late Friday night" and "Around midnight".
    11. present: It states "late Friday night" and "Around midnight".
    12. present: It says "late Friday night" and "Around midnight", time cues.
    13. present: It says it occurred "late Friday night" and "Around midnight", recency cues.
    14. present: It says "late Friday night" and "Around midnight", recency and timing cues.
    15. present: It says it occurred "late Friday night" and "Around midnight".
    16. present: It says the rape "occurred late Friday night" and "Around midnight", recency and time cues.
    17. present: It says "late Friday night" and "Around midnight", recency and time cues.
    18. present: It refers to "late Friday night" and "Around midnight".
    19. present: It references "late Friday night" and "Around midnight", time cues.
    20. present: It gives "late Friday night" and "Around midnight".
    21. present: It says "late Friday night" and "Around midnight", recency cues.
    22. present: Gives "late Friday night" and "Around midnight".
    23. present: References "late Friday night" and "Around midnight", time cues.
    24. present: It states "late Friday night" and "Around midnight", recency/time cues.
    25. present: It references timing with "late Friday night" and "Around midnight".
  • Impactpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present, unanimous. Reads agree the alert reports a sexual assault, a stated harm to a person.

    What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Reports a rape occurred and a woman was found passed out then sexually assaulted, a stated harm.
    2. present: Describes a rape and the victim being found passed out, clearly stated harm to a person.
    3. present: Reports a rape and the victim found passed out needing medical attention, a stated harm to a person.
    4. present: It reports a rape where the victim was found passed out and sexually assaulted, a clear stated harm.
    5. present: Reports a rape and that the victim was found passed out needing medical attention, conveying actual harm.
    6. present: Describes a rape where a woman was found passed out and sexually assaulted, an explicit serious harm.
    7. present: It reports a rape with the victim found passed out and brought for medical attention, a stated serious harm.
    8. present: It reports a rape where the victim was found passed out and sexually assaulted, a stated harm.
    9. present: Reports a rape and sexual assault of a victim, an explicitly stated harm to a person.
    10. present: Reports a rape and that the victim was found passed out, an explicit harm to a person.
    11. present: It reports a rape that occurred and a victim brought for medical attention, a stated harm to a person.
    12. present: It reports a rape that occurred late at night, a clearly stated serious harm to a victim.
    13. present: It reports a rape and sexual assault of a victim, a stated harm to a person.
    14. present: It reports a rape investigation describing the victim sexually assaulted, a stated serious harm.
    15. present: Describes a rape of a victim who had passed out and needed medical attention, a clearly stated harm.
    16. present: Reports a rape of a victim found passed out, a clearly stated harm.
    17. present: It reports a rape occurred and a victim needed medical attention, an explicit harm to a person.
    18. present: It describes a rape of a passed-out victim who needed medical attention, a stated serious harm.
    19. present: It reports a rape, an explicit serious harm to a victim.
    20. present: Reports a rape and that the victim needed medical attention, a clearly stated harm.
    21. present: It reports a rape and that the woman was found passed out needing medical attention, a clearly stated harm.
    22. present: It describes a rape and a victim found passed out and sexually assaulted, a clearly stated harm to a person.
    23. present: Describes a rape and a victim found passed out and assaulted, an explicit serious harm.
    24. present: It reports a rape that occurred, a stated harm to a victim.
    25. present: It reports a rape and describes the victim found passed out, a clearly stated serious harm.

Systematic AI judgments with visible reasoning, not human-validated codings.

About this analysis
Context

Background

UC Santa Cruz issues Clery timely warnings under the brand 'Timely Warning Crime Bulletin' and posts them to news.ucsc.edu and the UCSC Police community alerts page. The February 2023 Upper Campus forest rape bulletin is one of several UCSC sexual-assault Clery alerts during a period when the institution's compliance was under federal and state scrutiny. A California State Auditor's report released July 30, 2024 found UCSC had underreported rape, dating violence, and domestic battery in its Clery Annual Security Reports; UCSC subsequently issued a November 2024 republication of its Annual Security Report correcting its on-campus rape and stalking statistics. The CARE program is the institution's confidential advocacy resource for survivors and is named in nearly every UCSC sexual-assault timely warning.
Analysis

Key Findings

Upper Campus forest party setting reflects UCSC's distinctive geographic context, large outdoor social gatherings on residential land
Detailed suspect description (5'10", short brown hair, brown eyes) is unusual for incapacitation cases where survivors often cannot describe attackers
Friends bringing victim to campus fire station reflects student-network informal response patterns
UCSC was later found to have underreported Clery sex-offense statistics, institutional credibility context
CARE is the confidential advocacy program named in every UCSC sexual-assault TWCB
UCSC ASR was republished in 2024 due to misreporting findings, heightened institutional scrutiny context
Outcome
Suspect not identified at time of bulletin. Victim was found by friends and brought to a campus fire station for medical attention.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Timely Warning Crime Bulletin: Sexual assault (UCSC News, February 2023)
    news.ucsc.edu
    archived copy
  2. News
    UCSC police investigating rape (The Pajaronian)
    pajaronian.com
    archived copy
  3. News
    UCSC reported inaccurate crime statistics, state auditor's report finds (Lookout Santa Cruz)
    lookout.co
    archived copy
  4. Clery ASR
    2024 Notification of republication of the Clery Act Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (UCSC News, November 2024)
    news.ucsc.edu
    archived copy
  5. Source
    Clery Act: Six California Colleges and Universities Struggled to Fully Comply With Its Requirements, Report 2024-032 (California State Auditor)
    auditor.ca.gov
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "University of California, Santa Cruz: Student found unconscious near a forest party; rape investigation opened." Incident of February 10, 2023. Added May 2026; last updated July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/uc-santa-cruz-upper-campus-forest-sexual-assault-2023-02-10/

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Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

Tags
sexual-assaultrapeincapacitationtimely-warningoutdoor-partypublic-r1uc-systemstranger-suspectclery-complianceUnder Investigation
Added May 2026Updated July 2026Via ingestion