Police confirm that 18-year-old co-ed died after falling off 60-foot-cliff during drunken Spring Break party

The body of Giselle Ayala, 18, was found the morning of April 6 on the beaches of Isla Vista, California
Police wrapped up their investigation late last month and say she died accidentally falling off a cliff at a Spring Break party

By Daily Mail Reporter and Ashley Collman

PUBLISHED: 19:46 EST, 11 October 2013 | UPDATED: 19:47 EST, 11 October 2013

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Santa Barara corner's officials have confirmed that an 18-year-old Cal Poly student whose body was discovered on the beach six months ago died from a blunt-force trauma injury sustained falling from a 60-foot cliff.

Sociology student Giselle Ayala, 18, traveled to Isla Vista, California for 'Deltopia' - the annual Spring Break party organized by University of California, Santa Barbara students and attended by thousands each year.

Ayala's body was discovered on April 6 on the beach by a jogger, the morning after a booze-fueled Friday night party.

Tragic fall: Coroners confirmed this week that 18-year-old Cal Poly student Giselle Ayala died last April due to blunt-force trauma sustained in a fall from a cliff during a Spring Break party in Isla Vista, California

The student wasn't reported missing until Saturday evening. The last time her friends saw her was 11pm Friday night, when they say she left to go use the restroom.

By the time they reported her missing at 7pm, on Saturday, officials were in the midst of trying to identify the body they had been discovered at 8:20am.

The body on the beach was described as a 5ft 8 woman, wearing a purple sundress and black lace-up boots.

Letting loose: Ayala had traveled to Isla Vista with friends to attend the annual 'Deltopia' Spring Break party which attracts thousands of students every year

College tradition: Ayala had traveled to Isla Vista with friends to attend the annual 'Deltopia' Spring Break party which attracts thousands of students every year

Out of hand: At last year's Spring Break event, police arrested 23 people and issued 71 criminal citations

While they were able to quickly determine that the woman was Ayala, police didn't finalize the report until late last month due to the office's caseload and an investigation that ruled out criminal acts in her death.

A toxicology test found that the teen had an 'acute; blood-alcohol concentration 0.145 - twice the legal amount for driving. THC was also found in her system, and friends confirmed that she had been smoking marijuana that night.

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An autopsy conducted in April revealed the teen died from 'sustained injuries consistent with a fall'.

In the chaos of the event, police say she likely could have fallen off a local cliff.

Dangerous: The cliffs around Isla Vista have become dangerous for the community of college students - especially when combined with binge drinking

'Unfortunately, there is a long history of college students occasionally falling off the cliffs in Isla Vista and efforts that have been made to try and stop this from happening,' Santa Barbara County Sheriff's spokesman Kelly Hoover told The Press Democrat.

Cat Ayala, the woman's mother, told the Press Democrat that her daughter's death isn't reflective of the life she lead, and that she wants her to be 'remembered for who she was: Bright, beautiful, loving'.

In recent years, county and city officials worked together to install fences along the cliffs as a safeguard for the students, but unfortunately most of the cliff-front properties are privately-owned.

And the unfenced cliffs combined with binge drinking have not been a good combination for the community.

Pattern: Since Ayala's death at least three others have sustained injuries falling from the cliffs in Isla Vista

According to the Press Democrat, at least three others have sustained serious injuries falling off the cliffs since Ayala's death, including a 20-year-old Santa Barbara Community College student on September 28.

The Deltopia event, named for the Del Playa Drive where it is held on the bluffs above the ocean, was first organized in 2004 and it has been a major headache for locals ever since.

According to the Facebook invite for the page, last year more than 12,000 people were invited and 6,800 had responded that they would be attending.

In the invitation for the event, the organizers described it as: 'Official Deltopia 2013: When California's crazies party town goes its hardest.'

The drunken fest has a history of creating problems for the community as its attendance has swelled with the advent of Facebook.

Keeping safe: In recent years, the community has tried to safeguard students from falling by installing fences along the cliffs. Unfortunately most of the cliff-front property is privately-owned

In 2009, two attendees were hospitalized after falling off a cliff and 33 others had to receive treatment for head injuries, alcohol poisoning and other injuries.

Last year, police arrested 23 people and handed out 71 criminal citations.

Police have to actively patrol the area during the event, which costs the local taxpayers an estimated $20,000.

Officials at UCSB have urged students to reconsider hosting the event given the environmental impact of the debris left on the beach that is washed out and the amount of urine and vomit that enters the water.