ISLA VISTA, Calif. - One UC Santa Barbara student is dead after her and another person fell from an apartment rooftop in Isla Vista.
Police have identified the body as 22 year old Mellissa Portillo, a UCSB student from Los Angeles. Her family has been notified of her death.
Police were called out to the 6500 block of Cordoba Road in Isla Vista after reports of a fall victim close around 12:58 a.m. They located two injured subjects, one male and one female, they say fell from an apartment balcony.
The female had blunt force trauma to the head and was unresponsive, and deputies provided first aid. The male subject was responsive and complained of head and back pain. Both were rushed to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. The female succumbed to her injuries and died a short time later.
The male fall victim has also been identified as 22 year old Michel A.J.H. Kuster. Kuster is now in stable condition at Cottage Hospital.
Police say their initial investigation found that the death appeared to be accidental, with both subjects falling over a second story railing at the top of the stairs in the apartment complex. They say alcohol may have been a factor in the accident. No foul play is suspected.
