The Nevada Sagebrush

Denison’s body found eight miles south of UNR

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Hundreds of blue ribbons cover the campus – tied to fences, poles and trees.

They started appearing late Saturday, hours after police announced that Brianna Denison’s body had been found.

Each ribbon is supposed to represent Denison’s memory, as asked by her family in a statement released Saturday.

Stacey Raits went out and bought a bunch of blue ribbons and a “Bring Bri Justice”sign Monday morning to tie up around her apartment complex on West McCarran Boulevard.

Raits, a 21-year-old journalism major, said she did it because there weren’t any ribbons near her home, and she doesn’t want people to forget.

“On one hand, there’s closure because they’ve found her body, but on the other, whoever did this is still out there,”she said.

Denison, who disappeared Jan. 20 from a friend’s home on Mackay Court and College Drive, was discovered in an undeveloped field about eight miles south of the University of Nevada, Reno.

Police are still searching for the suspect in the case. He is described as a white male, between 28 and 40 years old, 5 feet 6 inches or taller with a long face and a square chin. He has brown hair, facial hair between a quarter and a half inch long, an innie belly button, shaved pubic region and unaccented speech.

Anyone with information can call 775-334-2115 or 775-745-3521.UNR Police Chief Adam Garcia said the UNR Police Department would assist Reno police “in hunting this animal down and bringing him to justice,”according to The Associated Press.

Since Denison’s disappearance, police have linked the crime to two sexual assault cases from last year. A third case, where a student was raped at gunpoint in the Brian J. Whalen Parking Complex, may also be related, police said.

In a statement released Saturday, UNR President Milton Glick urged students and the rest of the university community to remain vigilant and safe.

Police officially identified Denison’s body, which was found near Sandhill Road and Double R Boulevard, at a Saturday press conference.

Denison, a Reno native and Reno High School graduate, was strangled to death, said Steve Frady of the Reno Police Department.

A full autopsy report may not be released for weeks, Frady said.

“I just think it’s said because there was so much hope about her coming back,”said Allison Anderson, a 22-year-old journalism major who works with Denison’s mom. “We’ve been tying ribbons up at work, and it’s been really emotional.”

The university is sponsoring counseling services in light of Brianna Denison’s murder. Students can visit Thompson Building, Room 202 or call 775-784-4648.The Reno Police Department and Denison’s family urge anyone who has information about the case to call the Reno Police Department at 775-334-2115 or 775-745-3521.

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