The Augusta University nursing student found dead on the University of Georgia campus Thursday has been identified as 22-year-old Laken Riley.
Georgia criminal defense attorney Philip Holloway said he “would not be surprised” if Riley’s death was a “criminal homicide.”
UGA police say an undisclosed female student was “blinded” in a wooded area behind Herrick Lake around 12:30 p.m. Thursday after a friend called authorities and reported the student had gone for a run Thursday morning. He was found dead with visible injuries. Never came back.
Student who went running on Augusta University campus dies in Uga from ‘visible injuries’
On Thursday, February 22, 2024, Athens-Clarke County Police conducted a traffic stop at the UGA Intramural Field after the body of a woman with visibly injured bodies was found in the woods around Herrick Lake in Athens, Georgia. conducted an investigation. (Joshua L. Jones/USA Today Network)
“I think it’s going to be a short period of time before we find a suspect,” Holloway told FOX News Digital. “I would not be surprised if this was a criminal homicide.”
A UGA spokesperson told FOX News Digital that the student’s death was still under investigation as of Friday morning. Classes at the UGA and Augusta University College of Nursing campuses in Athens were canceled Friday.
Holloway, founder of Holloway Law Group, said authorities will erect a “geofence,” or virtual fence, around the crime scene to examine cell phone tower data to determine who entered or left the Lake Herrick area. He said it was highly likely. It should be noted that AT&T experienced a nationwide power outage Thursday morning and afternoon, impacting customers throughout the Southeast.
On Thursday, February 22, 2024, Athens-Clarke County Police conducted a traffic stop at the UGA Intramural Field after the body of a woman with visibly injured bodies was found in the woods around Herrick Lake in Athens, Georgia. conducted an investigation. (Joshua L. Jones/USA Today Network)
A criminal defense attorney described Athens as a “typical college town.”
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UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark said at a press conference Thursday night that the last time UGA reported a homicide on campus was 20 years ago. The police chief said there was no “imminent danger” on campus.
Holloway said, “Sources in the area are considering the possibility that this is related to past incidents,” including an assault on a woman on campus at UGA. He said there was.
The UGA student was found dead Thursday in a wooded area behind Herrick Lake. (FOX 5 Atlanta)
The UGA student who was found dead Thursday went for a run that morning and never returned. (FOX 5 Atlanta)
Lake Herrick is part of UGA’s campus and is located between various university practice fields and Oconee Forest Park. There is a pedestrian path on the border of the lake, and there is also a recreational beach. Authorities are asking the public to avoid the area while they investigate.
An Augusta University spokesperson confirmed to FOX News Digital that the student’s death occurred on UGA’s campus.
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UGA Police Chief Jeffrey L. Clark speaks to the media after the body of a woman with visibly injured bodies was found in the woods behind an on-campus field in Athens, Georgia, Thursday, February 22, 2024. told. (Joshua L. Jones/USA Today Network)
“It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of one of our students on the Athens College of Nursing campus,” Augusta University President Brooks A. Keel said in a statement. “Police have announced that foul play is suspected. Hearing this news this afternoon was shocking for all of us.”
“We suspect foul play,” UGA said in a press release. No suspects have been identified as of Friday.
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Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Gertz expressed condolences in a statement Thursday night, calling the death a “murder.”
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“I stand with everyone here at Athens-Clarke County Unified Government in our deep sorrow for the murders that occurred in our city today,” Gertz said. “We are committed to working with UGA PD to quickly bring this investigation to a close and will continue to work overtime to prevent further tragedies.”
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department are assisting UGA Police with the investigation. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call 706-542-2200.
