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 her death was suspected to be foul play.
The victim, Laken Riley, was an undergraduate student at the school until spring 2023 and then enrolled in Augusta University’s nursing program, which has a campus in Athens, school officials said.
Shortly after noon, a friend reported to campus police that Ms. Riley was missing after she did not return from a run near the university’s intramural fields, the University of Georgia Police Department said.
At 12:38 p.m., officers found her body in a patch of 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 have no 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 risk,” 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 could not recall 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 call the university Police Department at (706) 542-2200.
University police said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department are assisting in the investigation.
Kelly Girtz, the mayor of Athens-Clarke County, said he joined the community “in deep sadness over today’s murder,” adding that the city is working with university police to bring the investigation to a “quick conclusion.”
The university said the school’s president, Jere Morehead, met with members of Ms. Riley’s fraternity to express his condolences.
The school canceled the remaining classes on Thursday and all classes on Friday. Officials encouraged students and staff members to take precautions on campus and advised people to “travel in groups when possible and be aware of your surroundings,” according to a statement. Augusta University also announced it canceled classes Friday at its nursing school campus in Athens.
“I don’t feel safe anywhere,” Anika Bhattacharya, a sophomore at the University of Georgia, told television news outlet 11Alive, adding that she had recently considered going for a run in the area.
“I’m not even thinking about walking too much by myself after all of this – at least for the next two months,” she said, adding “I just don’t want to take any chances.”
According to The Red & Black, a campus newspaper, students on the intramural courts said their classes had been canceled mid-term Thursday afternoon. The newspaper reported that police had checked the identities of people in the fields before leaving the area.
The body was found in a wooded area near Herrick Lake, part of a larger recreation area that includes playgrounds, tennis courts and trails for walking, running and biking. The lake and inland fields are adjacent to Oconee Forest Park.
