ATHENS, Ga. – The University of Georgia Police Department have taken a suspect in custody in connection with the suspected homicide of a 22-year-old nursing student from Augusta University who police found dead on the University of Georgia campus Thursday.
In a campus announcement, the University of Georgia (UGA) said that there is not a “continuing threat” to the campus related to Laken Riley’s death.
School officials told Fox News Digital that UGA police were questioning a person of interest earlier in the day.
Riley had previously attended UGA before entering a nursing program at Augusta’s Athens campus, where she made the Dean’s List.
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA POLICE QUESTIONING ‘PERSON OF INTEREST’ IN LAKEN RILEY HOMICIDE
Laken Riley smiles for a photo while running. Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was found dead near a lake on campus on Thursday, February 22, 2024, after she failed to return from her morning jog. (Laken Riley/Instagram)
Police were asking anyone who saw anything “relevant or suspicious” between 7 a.m. and noon Thursday around UGA’s Intramural Fields and Lake Herrick to call 706-542-2200.
That’s where they found Riley – with “visible injuries” – within 30 after they received a call from a concerned friend who said she went for a run and didn’t come back.
According to an incident report obtained by Fox News Digital, multiple officers began searching for Riley near the Intramural Fields around 12:07 p.m. At 12:38, a UGA police officer spotted her on the ground.
“I called out to Riley, and I did not get a response,” the officer wrote.
Read the incident report:
She had visible injuries, and police could not locate a pulse. They began CPR anyway. A sergeant arrived with a defibrillator minutes later and unsuccessfully attempted to revive the victim.
“Based on the injuries and Riley’s physical condition, I suspected that foul play was involved,” the police report reads. Investigators were reviewing the officer’s bodycam for additional evidence.
Flowers under the sign at Lake Herrick, where Georgia nursing student Laken Riley was found dead Thursday after failing to return home from her morning run. (Audrey Conklin/Fox News Digital)
GEORGIA NURSING STUDENT FOUND DEAD ON UGA CAMPUS IDENTIFIED AS LAKEN RILEY
Laken Riley poses for a photo posted to Facebook. Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was found dead near a lake on campus on Thursday, February 22, 2024. (Allyson Phillips/Facebook)
Autopsy results remained pending Friday, but authorities said they were investigating her death as a homicide.
Classes and events at both universities were canceled Friday.
Laken Riley poses for a photo posted to Facebook. Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was found dead near a lake on campus on Thursday, February 22, 2024. (Laken Riley/Facebook)
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Lake Herrick is part of UGA’s campus, nestled between various university practice fields and Oconee Forest Park. The lake is bordered by a pedestrian trail and has a recreational beach. Authorities are asking the public to avoid the area as they investigate.
The last time UGA reported a homicide on campus was 20 years ago, UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark said during a Thursday evening news conference. The police chief said that there was not “immediate danger” on campus.
