UPDATE: The University of Georgia Police Department confirmed that a suspect is in custody for the murder of 22-year-old Laken Hope Riley. The alleged killer is not a U.S. citizen, authorities said, according to Fox News.
The suspect was identified as 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra. He has been charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and concealing the death of another, UGA Police Chief Jeffrey L. Clark said during a news briefing Friday evening.
“The evidence is robust,” he noted, while crediting campus security cameras as pivotal in making the arrest.
Clark said he believed the attack was a “crime of opportunity.” The chief does not believe Ibarra had any connections to the victim and is not a UGA student.
“Right now I don’t know his full status,” he said. “He is not a citizen of the United States.”
Ibarra is a Venezuelan national who illegally crossed the southern border into El Paso, Texas in September 2022, News Nation reported, citing multiple DHS sources. He was released from DHS custody over a lack of detention space, according to the outlet.
ATHENS, Ga. – A young woman attending nursing school was found dead on the University of Georgia campus after failing to return from a Thursday morning jog. Law enforcement authorities believe “foul play” was involved and police reportedly have a person who is undergoing questioning early Friday afternoon.
The victim has been identified by police as 22-year-old Laken Hope Riley. She was reported missing by a friend who was concerned for her welfare shortly after 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, Law&Crime reported.
The University of Georgia Police Department issued an initial press release with the following details:
“On February 22, 2024, at approximately 12:07 p.m. the UGA Police Department received a call from an individual concerned for the welfare of a friend who had gone to run at the Intramural Fields earlier in the morning and had not returned as expected. Officers responded to the area and immediately began a search of the area at approximately 12:20 p.m. in an attempt to locate the individual. Officers located the individual in the forested area behind Lake Herrick at approximately 12:38 p.m. The individual was unconscious and not breathing, and had visible injuries. Officers immediately began rendering medical aid. Emergency medical responders determined that the individual was deceased upon their arrival.
“The University of Georgia Police Department is actively investigating this incident in cooperation with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department. Please avoid this general area while the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information that could possibly be related to this incident in any way is asked to contact the UGA Police Department immediately at 706-542-2200.”
UGA Police Chief Jeffrey L. Clark said, “This is a tragic day,” while noting his department was “actively investigating” the homicide with allied agencies. He noted it was the first recorded murder on campus in at least 20 years.
There appears to be progress in the investigation on Friday as police have verified that a person is undergoing questioning regarding Riley’s death, the Athens Banner-Herald reported.
University of Georgia spokesperson Greg Trevor told members of the media on Friday just before 1 p.m. that an individual has been brought in for questioning. However, no further details were provided.
Meanwhile, there was a heavy law enforcement presence on Friday at the Cielo at Azulyk apartment complex, located on South Milledge Avenue and adjacent to the backside of the UGA intramural fields.
Personnel from four different law enforcement agencies were spotted in the area. Investigators at the scene would not comment on their presence or entertain questions from reporters.
Laken Riley, a nursing student, was found dead on Thursday. (Allyson Phillips/Facebook)
According to the University of Georgia Police Department, Riley was a student at UGA through the spring 2023 semester before she transferred to the Augusta University College of Nursing program in Athens, where she had been enrolled at the time of her death.
