Body of nursing student found on a University of Georgia campus; police questioning person of interest

Athens, Georgia — A woman was found dead Thursday in a wooded area on the Athens campus of the University of Georgia after a friend told police she hadn't returned from a morning run, authorities said.

University of Georgia Police have identified a person of interest who is being questioned, school officials said Friday. 

The woman was a nursing student at the Athens campus of Augusta University, according to university President Brooks Keel. The university identified the woman as Laken Hope Riley, a junior who was on the dean's list. She was 22, CBS affiliate WANF reported.

Riley had been enrolled at the University of Georgia until spring 2023. 

A friend had called University of Georgia police just after noon, concerned about Riley's well-being after she failed to return from a morning run at the school's intramural fields, the University of Georgia said. Officers searched the area at 12:20 p.m. and found Riley shortly afterwards. 

University of Georgia Police Chief Jeff Clark said Thursday night that Riley was found in the fields, unconscious, not breathing and with visible injuries. He did not provide details on how she died, citing the ongoing investigation being conducted by his department, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department. The University of Georgia said that emergency responders determined that Riley was deceased upon their arrival. 

The university said Friday that police remain on the scene and asked students to avoid the area, which 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.

Anyone with information about the case or who may have witnessed suspicious activity near the fields between 7 a.m. and noon Thursday is asked to contact the police. 

Clark noted that there hasn't been a homicide on campus in the last 20 years. "We're not going to leave any rock unturned in this investigation," he said.

When asked it there was a threat to the public, he said there was no apparent immediate danger but, "when you have a suspect on the loose, there's always a danger."

Both schools cited police when saying in letters to their communities that foul play was suspected in Riley's death.  The University of Georgia urged students to travel in groups.

Both schools cancelled Friday classes.  

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