Las Vegas NowManhunt on for Killer of College Student Brianna Denison

Manhunt on for Killer of College Student Brianna Denison

Reno police are on a manhunt for the person who killed college student Brianna Denison and left her body in a field.

Autopsy results did reveal that Denison was strangled to death. It's believed snowfall in the area kept her body from being discovered earlier.

On Friday, police cordoned off about two acres as a crime scene in a field where the 19-year-old college student was found.

Reno police spokesman Steve Frady said Friday the body was found about noon in the brush-covered field on the city's south side near a light industrial area just east of U.S. Highway 395.

About 45 law enforcement and crime lab personnel, including an FBI agent, processed the scene and secured the perimeter.

Denison was abducted Jan. 20 by a serial rapist linked by DNA to a string of attacks near the University of Nevada, Reno campus.

Investigators say they are looking for a serial rapist and fear he may strike again.

"The suspect is known to somebody in this community," said Reno Police Deputy Chief Jim Johns.

The suspect is described as a white male about 28 to 40 years old and about 5' 6' tall with brown hair and an inverted belly button. Police believe he was driving an extended cab pickup.

A student at Santa Barbara City College, she was visiting her hometown over winter break. She last was seen sleeping on a couch at a friend's off-campus rental house.