Police are investigation after the body of a woman with “visible injuries” was found at the intramural fields of the University of Georgia in Athens.
UGA Police Chief Jeff Clark said “the victim was not a student at the University of Georgia, but the victim was a student at another school.”
According to WSB, Augusta University said the victim was a student at its College of Nursing campus in Athens and had been an undergraduate at UGA prior.
The Athens-Clarke County coroner identified the victim to CNN as Laken Hope Riley, 22. He said a cause of death would be determined during an autopsy on Friday.
The chief said investigators have not identified a suspect but don’t believe there’s any danger to the community.
The university said that campus police were called shortly after noon Thursday about a friend who had gone for a run earlier in the morning at the fields but not returned.
Special Safety Update pic.twitter.com/i1o28ZhM81
— UGA (@universityofga) February 22, 2024
Police went to the scene and bgan a search, located the woman’s body in a forested area behind Lake Herrick at 12:38 p.m.
“We have been fully briefed on this terrible situation,” the university said. “Foul play is suspected, and we are already receiving support from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Athens-Clarke County Police Department to investigate this crime.”
The school cancelled classes for the rest of the week, and Augusta University cancelled classes at its College of Nursing. They will resume on Monday.
The university said that another student had died suddenly at one of the campus’s dorms but did not provide additional information about that death. According to a UGA Police log, the death was a suicide.
“And as we continue to mourn that tragic loss of life, today’s devastating news will uniquely test the resolve of our campus community, particularly our students,” the school said.
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[Featured image: Laken Hope Riley/Facebook]
