An unidentified man assaulted a female resident of Helser Hall Thursday morning.

At about 6:45 a.m., a black male wearing a ski mask entered the Lawther House women’s restroom on the third floor of North Helser Hall and attempted to grab a female who was in the shower, according to a press release from the Department of Public Safety.

The victim called DPS, but the suspect had left the building by the time officers arrived.

The suspect was described as a black male in his early 20s, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, wearing dark sweats, possibly a blue shirt, and a black ski mask with an oval-shaped opening.

A composite sketch of the suspect’s face was released by DPS Thursday afternoon.

“The composite picture was based on a description provided by a resident matching the same general description as the suspect,” said Jerry Stewart, assistant director of DPS.

Stewart said the investigation has mainly concentrated on interviewing witnesses who were in the area before and after the attack.

“We’ve interviewed some witnesses and obtained statements from individuals who witnessed someone leaving the area around the time of the attack,” he said.

A series of incidents similar to this attack occurred last year in Friley Hall and the old Richardson Court Association, Stewart said.

“We had an individual last year who we arrested doing the same general thing, though there was no grabbing motion,” he said. “We arrested him based on descriptions provided by a resident and eventually got a confession out of him.”

Even though the suspect is still at large and at possible risk to re-offend, Stewart said the residence halls should be safe.

“Our aim is definitely to apprehend the individual as soon as possible,” he said.

Carrie Gofron, IRHA at-large UDA representative, said all the women’s bathrooms in UDA were locked Thursday afternoon.

Stewart said the department encourages anyone who has any information or sees a suspicious person in the residence halls to contact DPS.