ATHENS, Ga. — A woman found dead on the University of Georgia campus after she went for a jog has been identified as 22-year-old Laken Hope Riley, according to the Athens-Clarke County coroner.
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Friends reported Riley missing on Thursday after she went for a jog on the university’s intermural fields and never returned. On Friday, police confirmed that Riley’s death has been officially ruled a homicide.
Police found her unconscious and injured in a wooded area behind the fields around 12:30 p.m. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Riley’s cause of death has not been released.
UGA officials are hosting a news conference Friday at 7 p.m.
Riley was a nursing student at Augusta University’s nursing school campus in Athens.
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Police said the investigation is still active. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is assisting in the case.
On Friday, police swarmed an apartment complex near campus. It’s unclear what they were searching for. GBI agents searched through trash cans and dumpsters at a gas station across the street from the apartments for evidence.
University spokesman Greg Trevor said police have identified a person of interest who is being questioned.
Channel 2′s Michael Seiden was at the complex, where he saw two men being led to the back of a police car. One had his face covered with a blanket. It’s unclear if they are suspects or persons of interest.
Anyone with information that could possibly be related to this incident in any way, or who may have witnessed something relevant or suspicious anywhere near the Intramural Fields between 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon on Thursday, is asked to contact the UGA Police Department immediately at 706-542-2200.
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