UC Santa Barbara police detectives along with investigators from the County Sheriff’s Office have successfully identified the badly decomposed human body found last year near Isla Vista. The remains of 63-year-old Thomas Lee Broad, a homeless man who lived in the Goleta area, were discovered May 10 by a school maintenance employee working off the foot and bike path between UCSB’s Santa Catalina Residence Hall and the Santa Ynez Apartments.
Police initially struggled to identity Broad’s body, which was in “really bad shape,” according to authorities at the time, who noted the remains had been exposed to weather and wildlife for a prolonged period. Due to the body’s advanced state of decomposition, the investigation necessitated a DNA test, and the coroner’s office has listed the cause of death as “undetermined.” Authorities, however, said there was no evidence of foul play at the scene.