An unknown suspect in a Halloween mask held a female student at gunpoint around 12:15 p.m. He then raped her in the parking lot of the Merrill Engineering Building, the student told police.
The suspect is 6 feet tall, wearing a “grim reaper style mask,” and a black cloak, University of Utah Campus Police Sargent Garth Smith said.
The suspect was leaving class and the man forced her into the backseat of her car, holding a handgun.
Smith said the victim’s car was parked on the North side of the parking lot, which was full.
To Smith’s knowledge, this is the first time a rape involving a Halloween mask has occurred on campus.
Police are currently checking the victim’s car for fingerprints while the victim is being examined at the University of Utah Hospital, but no details of specific physical harm are available.
“We have searched the whole area,” Smith said. “We will continue to search.”
The university police are offering escorts to walk students to and from buildings and cars.