Tempe police have released a composite sketch of the suspect involved in a purse-snatching incident that resulted in the death of 21-year-old ASU student Kyleigh Sousa.
The incident took place on May 26 just outside an International House of Pancakes on the 200 block of East Apache Boulevard near the Tempe campus.
Sousa was walking with a friend outside the restaurant at around 2 a.m. when a “heavyset” man driving either a Dodge Charger or Chrysler 300 pulled up beside them, according to police. Authorities believe the man was not alone in the vehicle.
Sousa exchanged words with the man, and then he grabbed her purse. She became entangled in the straps and was dragged for a distance, police reported.
Sousa was taken to a hospital in critical condition and was pronounced brain-dead later that evening. Her death is being treated as a homicide.
Police are encouraging anyone with information on the incident to call the Tempe Police Department at 480-350-8311, or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.
Reach the reporter at kjdaly@asu.edu
