NORTH MIAMI, FLA. (WSVN) - A high school student who was brutally beaten at Florida International University’s Biscayne Bay Campus is making a desperate plea for information on who attacked her and a classmate.
Fifteen-year-old Isabella Perdomo spoke out Wednesday about the attack she and 16-year-old James Critz suffered on Sept. 10.
“It looked completely random,” she said.
Police said the students were walking on a trail on campus, collecting samples for an experiment, just before the attack occurred.
“I had two hits here and here and arms fractured, some hearing loss,” Perdomo said. “I was thinking, ‘OK, let me try not to die.'”
Since the attack, Perdomo and Critz have been doing their best to catch up on school work, along with keeping up with several doctor’s appointments.
As they physically recover, they question why the attacker targeted them.
However, Perdomo’s mother believes the attacker may have had a sinister motive.
“She doesn’t remember every single detail, but she did have interaction with this person,” said Elizabeth Perdomo. “It was clear that it was probably sexually motivated.”
The students and their families are upset with the lack of surveillance along the path where they were attacked.
“It’s become a burden as far as trying to identify this guy because in that particular area there are no cameras,” said FIU Police Detective Yasmani Oceguera.
Perdomo’s family said they are speaking out because they hope someone may have seen something that a security camera did not capture. They are also hoping somebody can identify the subject through a sketch provided by police.
“I want to catch him, and from there I want to get past it,” Isabella said.
Officials believe the person responsible may be between the ages of 18 and 20 years old. He’s also believed to have short, cropped black hair with a medium-dark complexion.
If you have any information on this attack, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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