The student told the sheriff’s office she wasn’t sure what happened next because she lost consciousness during the assault. When she regained consciousness, her pants and underwear were pulled down and her attacker was nowhere in sight, Wedding said.

He did not comment on why the student waited until Friday — 24 days after the alleged attack — to report the incident.

The sheriff’s office will continue to work with USI to develop and pursue any new leads in the case, Wedding said, though it may be challenging.

“We don’t have any physical evidence to go off of,” Wedding said. “And from what we can tell, this is an isolated case.”

The student did not seek medical treatment at the time of the incident and did not report any physical injuries to the sheriff’s office, Wedding said.

There are currently no suspects in the case.

Public Safety Director Stephen Woodall said he doesn’t consider the trail unsafe.

“This is a very unusual case, but from what we can tell, it’s also isolated,” Woodall said. “I think the trails are still a safe place for students.”

Woodall advises students to navigate the trail safely by traveling with a friend. He also suggests students tell people where they’re going and take their cell phones with them.