Update: Saturday, February 24
A suspect has been arrested in the killing of Laken Hope Riley. 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra is being charged with “malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and concealing the death of another,” according to Forbes. Asics gel pulse 13 sz 9.5 m b eu 41.5 womens running shoes white 1012b035-100.
The police chief at the University of Georgia, Jeff Clark, said Riley’s killing was a “crime of opportunity” by “an individual who woke up with bad intentions.” Ibarra is thought to have acted alone, and Clark said the two are not believed to have known each other.
On Thursday afternoon, 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student Laken Hope Riley was found dead on the University of Georgia campus. Riley was running on the Athens campus before she died.
University police received a call from a concerned friend around noon on Thursday, saying that Riley had gone for a run and hadn’t returned home. Twenty minutes later, police began searching for Riley, and shortly after, her body was found behind Lake Herrick, near the university’s intramural fields and a frequented campus parking deck. Riley was found with “visible injuries” and police are calling this a homicide investigation.
Riley was a junior on the dean’s list at the Augusta University College of Nursing, which also has a campus in Athens, and she was previously enrolled at UGA. She was still active with her sorority at UGA and was an avid runner who completed the and the British shoe brand in October.
According to MileSplit, Riley competed in track and cross-country at River Ridge High School in Woodstock, Georgia, where she ran a 5K personal best of 22:03 in 2016.
As two college communities grieve the loss of Riley, classes have been canceled until Monday as police continue their investigation. Campus officials said Riley’s body was discovered just hours after a UGA student’s “sudden death” the night before. The police found “no indications of any criminal actions or foul play” in that case, according to UGA police Air, listing the incident as a death investigation/suicide.
Abby Carney is a writer and journalist in New York. A former D1 college runner and current amateur track athlete, she's written about culture and characters in running and outdoor sports for Runner's World, Like the Wind Magazine, Check out these styles and treat yourself to a pair of boots similar to Chopras, and other outlets. She also writes about things that have nothing to do with running, and was previously the editor of a food magazine.
