Delta police are searching for a person of interest in the death of Laura Szendrei, the 15-year-old girl who was brutally beaten in broad daylight on Saturday.

Sgt. Sharlene Brooks said police want to speak with a young man who was seen leaving the area where Szendrei was killed.

He is described as a 16 to 25-year-old with a medium build who was wearing a white short-sleeve shirt, cargo-style pants and a backpack.

Police say he was either on the phone or texting when he left Mackie Park at around 1:15 p.m. on Saturday.

Shortly after, Szendrei was viciously assaulted in a wooded area of the park. Friends say she was trailing behind a group of friends who were headed to a football game at nearby Sands Secondary School.

"She did not deserve it at all. Straight kid, not involved in anything bad," one girl told CTV News.

Unconfirmed media reports suggest she was beaten in the head with a baseball bat.

Szendrei, who was a student at nearby Burnsview Secondary School, was rushed to hospital.

She died early Sunday morning with her family by her side.

Grief counselors were at Burnsview on Sunday to offer support to grieving students and staff.

The Delta Police Department's Serious Crime Section is investigating Szendrei's death, but so far no suspects have been identified and police have not determined whether the attack was random or targeted.

Brooks said police "appreciate that there's a level of concern out there with respect to this situation and we acknowledge the gravity of it."

"What we're not in a position to do right now is allay all of those concerns," she said. "We're not going to lie to the general public."

There have been two other troubling attacks on women in Delta in recent months, though police can't say if there's a connection.

In June, a woman jogging in the bog area on Santa Monica Drive was attacked from behind and hit over the head with an unknown object. She was able to run and get help.

A similar attack occurred in May when an 18-year-old woman walking on a pathway was also hit on the head. She struggled with her attacker but was able to get away.

A number of Facebook pages have been set up in honour of Szendrei, who friends describe as an outgoing and popular girl who will be dearly missed.

Anyone with information on Szendrei's attack or the identity of the person of interest is asked to call Delta police at 604-946-4411.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Julia Foy