A woman’s body was found Thursday in a wooded area on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, according to university officials, who said foul play was suspected in her death.
The victim, Laken Riley, was an undergraduate student at the school until spring 2023 and then enrolled in the nursing program at Augusta University, which has a campus in Athens. school officials saying.
Shortly after noon, a friend reported to campus police that Ms. Riley was missing after she did not return from running near the university’s intramural fields, the University of Georgia Police Department said.
At 12:38 p.m., officers found his body in woods near a lake. Ms. Riley, whose age has not been released, “was unconscious and not breathing” and had “visible injuries,” police said. Paramedics arrived and pronounced her dead.
Police do not have any suspects, University Police Chief Jeffrey Clark said at a news conference Thursday night.
“When you have a suspect on the loose, there’s always a danger,” the chief said. “But there is no immediate danger at this time.”
Chief Clark declined to comment on the nature of the death.
He said he didn’t remember any homicides on campus in the past 20 years.
Investigators were reviewing footage from campus security cameras, the chief added. He urged anyone with information about the case to contact the university Police Department at (706) 542-2200.
University police said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department were assisting in the investigation.
Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz said she joined the community. “with deep sadness at today’s murder,” He added that the city was working with university police to bring the investigation to a “quick conclusion.”
The university said school president Jere Morehead met with members of Riley’s sorority to offer his condolences.
The school canceled the rest of classes on Thursday and all classes on Friday. Officials encouraged students and staff members to take precautions on campus and recommended that people “travel in groups when possible and be aware of their surroundings.” according to a statement. Augusta University also said it canceled classes Friday at its nursing school campus in Athens.
“I don’t feel safe anywhere,” said Anika Bhattacharya, a sophomore at the University of Georgia. television news outlet 11Aliveand added that he had recently thought about going for a run in the area.
“I’m not even thinking about walking alone after all this, at least for the next two months,” she said, adding, “I just don’t want to take any risks.”
According The red and the black, a campus newspaper, students on intramural campuses said their classes had been canceled in the middle of a class period Thursday afternoon. The newspaper said police officers had checked people’s IDs in the fields before they left the area.
The body was found in a wooded area near Herrick Lake, part of a larger recreational area that includes playing fields, tennis courts and walking, running and biking trails. The lake and the intramural fields border the Oconee Forest Park.
