A 23-year-old student at the California Institute of the Arts died shortly after her roommate found her unresponsive on Feb. 4 — and now there’s a person of interest being sought in her killing.
Santa Clarita deputies responded to The Vistas condominium complex at 6:47 p.m. on Feb. 4, according to Lieutenant Michael Modica of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, who spoke at a Feb. 12 press conference.
A woman named Menghan Zhuang, 23, had been found unresponsive by her roommate, with “several” unspecified upper body injuries. Medical aid was rendered by the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Lt. Modica said, but Zhuang died at the scene.
Zhuang had arrived home with a “male companion” the night before her death, Modica stated. The same man was seen on video footage leaving the young woman’s apartment through her second story window on the afternoon she died, according to Modica.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
The man, who is believed to be of Asian descent, is now considered a person of interest in the case. He was seen wearing a long-sleeved black button-down shirt and black pants.
It’s unclear whether the man was a student at CalArts, as Zhuang was. “This was not a random act of violence,” Modica said at the conference, describing the killing as an “isolated incident.”
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“[Zhuang] somehow knew the person of interest, evident by bringing that person into her apartment,” he noted.
Modica also emphasized that Zhuang’s roommate is cooperating with the investigation and is not considered a person of interest.
The lieutenant asked anyone with information to immediately alert authorities. “We are asking for the public’s assistance,” he said, in the hopes that finding the person of interest can “help bring justice and a sense of closure to the family.”
Zhuang, a senior who studied art, was originally from mainland China and was living in California on a student visa. She had been in the country for three and a half years at the time of her death, and was also known as Emily King to some of her friends and fellow students.
Zhuang’s father and sister traveled to California to be present for the investigation, Modica said at the press conference.
PEOPLE contacted the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for comment but has not yet received a response.
A $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest. Those with information are asked to call 323-890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS if they wish to be anonymous.
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