Suspect taken into custody in death on UGA campus

A woman was found dead near a lake on the University of Georgia campus Thursday, the university said, forcing the cancellation of on-campus classes until Monday, NPR's Ayana Richie reported.

The victim was later identified as Laken Riley.

According to the University of Georgia’s news and information website, police said they received a call Thursday at 12:07 p.m. from someone who was concerned about their friend, who had gone on a run near Intramural Fields, UGA Police Chief Jeff Clark said.Police began a search immediately and found an unconscious person with "visible injuries" behind Lake Herrick at 12:38 p.m. Police began administering medical aid, and when emergency medical personnel arrived, the person was pronounced dead on the scene, Clark said.

A day before the woman was found at the lake, a UGA student was found dead in the Brumby Hall dormitory on Wednesday, the university said, though it did not provide additional details.



Last night, University of Georgia Police were able to complete notification of the family in the death of the young woman whose body was found in the woods behind Lake Herrick yesterday afternoon and identified the victim as Laken Riley. Riley was a student at UGA through Spring Semester 2023, prior to transferring to the Augusta University College of Nursing program at Athens, where she was currently enrolled.

Update



At 5 p.m. Friday, the school announced that a suspect in the murder of Laken Riley has been taken into custody by the University of Georgia Police Department, saying there were no indications of a continuing threat to the UGA campus related to this matter.



A news conference has been scheduled for 7 p.m. this evening, at which time investigators will be able to provide more details, the school said.

 

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, and several federal law enforcement agencies are part of the investigation. 

Anyone with relevant information is urged to call the UGA Police Department at 706-542-2200.