Laken Hope Riley, UGA nursing student at Augusta University College found dead with visible injuries on campus after run, foul play suspected as her death is called a murder. No suspect or arrest made.
The body of a female student found dead Thursday on the campus of University of Georgia has been identified as 22-year-old Laken Hope Riley, the Athens-Clarke County coroner revealed on Friday.
Riley was a nursing student at the Augusta University College at UGA’s campus in Athens.
The student’s body was found on Thursday afternoon after her roommate reported her missing, saying Riley had not returned from jogging.
Foul play
Riley was found deceased with ‘visible injuries’ in a wooded area after earlier having gone running along the university’s intermural fields.
Coroner Sonny Wilson said Riley’s cause and manner of death are pending an examination of the body, which is set to take place Friday, WSB-TV reported.
‘The individual was unconscious and not breathing and had visible injuries,’ the coroner said. EMS responders determined the victim was dead, he said.
University of Georgia police suspect foul play and said they are working with local police to investigate the death, but say they do not yet have a suspect.
UGA has has urged students to travel ‘in groups’ and has canceled classes
The University of Georgia said the victim was a former undergraduate at the school in 2023, who had since enrolled at Augusta University’s nursing program, which has a campus in Athens.
Riley graduated from River Ridge High School in 2020 and was from Woodstock, Georgia.
She was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority. In fall 2023, she made the dean’s list at Augusta University.
No suspect in case
Police Chief Jeff Clark of the UGA Police Department did not provide details on how the woman died, citing the ongoing investigation, while conceding a crime had been committed.
Clark said his department, along with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, were conducting the investigation.
He noted that there has not been a homicide on campus in the last 20 years.
‘We’re not going to leave any rock unturned in this investigation,’ he said during a Thursday night press conference.
He also acknowledged that police do not have a suspect in the case yet.
‘When you have a suspect that’s on the loose, there’s always a danger. But there’s no immediate danger at this time.’
Kelly Girtz, the mayor of Athens-Clarke County, said he joined the community in ‘deep sadness over today’s murder’ and said the city was working with authorities to bring the investigation to a ‘rapid conclusion’.
Officers searching the area found the woman’s body in a forested area behind Lake Herrick.
That area is across a busy road from a large dorm and dining hall complex on what’s commonly called ‘East Campus.’ Most of the students in those dorms are freshmen.
Authorities ask anyone with information about Riley’s death to contact the UGA Police Department at 706-542-2200.
