University of Georgia Police have identified a person of interest
who is being questioned in relation to the on-campus death of 22-
year-old Laken Hope Riley on Thursday, a UGA spokesperson said.

“We want to stress that this continues to be an active ongoing
investigation,” spokesperson Greg Trevor said.

Investigators have been scouring a wooded area on campus trying to
find clues as to who may have killed Riley. She was found dead after
jogging in the area.

Riley was an Augusta University College of Nursing student at its
campus in Athens, which is also home to the University of Georgia.
She was a junior on the dean’s list, Augusta University said.

Her body was found near a lake on UGA’s campus Thursday afternoon.
Her remains were publicly identified Friday morning.

Riley’s cause and manner of death had not been determined, pending
an examination of her body that’s set to take place later Friday,
Athens-Clarke County Coroner Sonny Wilson told CNN.

Now, with a possible suspect still at large and two college
communities grieving, classes have been canceled as authorities
search for clues.

Police believe foul play was involved
Authorities received a call around noon on Thursday from a person
who was concerned after their friend went jogging at the
university’s intramural fields and never returned, University of
Georgia Police Chief Jeffrey L. Clark said Thursday evening.

Investigators found the jogger’s body around 12:38 p.m. in an area
behind a nearby lake, Clark said.

Police said they suspect foul play was involved. But no suspect
information or possible motive has been released.

The student had ties to both universities
Before her enrollment at Augusta University, Riley was a student at
UGA.

“The victim was an undergraduate student at the University of
Georgia until the spring of 2023, and then she became a nursing
student at the Augusta University nursing program in Athens,” UGA
spokesperson Cole Sosebee said.

All classes on the University of Georgia’s Athens campus are
canceled Friday and will resume Monday, the school said.

Augusta University has canceled Friday classes at the College of
Nursing campus in Athens, which is about 2.5 miles from the
University of Georgia’s intramural fields.

Augusta University’s president issued a statement Thursday, mourning
the loss of the student.

“It is with deepest sorrow that I share with you the news that one
of our students at our College of Nursing campus at Athens has
passed away,” Augusta University President Brooks A. Keel said in a
letter to his school’s community.

Authorities ask anyone with information about Riley’s death to
contact the UGA Police Department at 706-542-2200.

UGA suffers 2 tragedies less than a day apart

Riley’s body was discovered hours after the “sudden death” of a UGA
student the night before, campus officials said.

That student was found dead in Brumby Hall, and police found “no
indications of any criminal actions or foul play,” according to UGA
police records. The incident was listed as a death
investigation/suicide.

“The past 24 hours have been a traumatic time for our university,”
the school said Thursday. “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.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/23/us/uga-augusta-university-student-
death/index.html