UGA: Suspect in custody in death of Athens nursing student Laken Riley

University of Georgia police seemingly made an arrest related to the death of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Hope Riley.

"A suspect in the murder of Laken Riley has been taken into custody by the University of Georgia Police Department," noted a post by UGA Today, an online media outlet for the university. "At this time, there are no indications of a continuing threat to the UGA campus related to this matter."

Riley's body was found at about 12:30 p.m. Thursday by UGA police in the wooded area behind Lake Herrick at the intramural fields off College Station Road. She resided off South Milledge Extension in a neighborhood that also borders the intramural fields and the forest bordering Lake Herrick.

UGA spokesperson Greg Trevor told media on Friday that one person had been brought in for questioning. Trevor could not say how this person may be involved in the homicide case. No details about the person or more information about motive was made public at the time. More details were expected to be released at news conference later in the evening.

A heavy law enforcement presence on Friday was at the Cielo at Azulyk apartment complex, located on South Milledge Avenue and adjacent to the backside of the UGA intramural fields. UGA police, Athens-Clarke County police, Georgia Bureau of Investigations officers and Georgia State Patrol were all seen in the area.

At one point, agents crossed the street and collected bags of trash from a trash bin at a Chevron Station.

Athens-Clarke County Coroner Sonny Wilson said Friday that an autopsy was being performed at the State Crime Lab to determine the cause of death.

What we know:Woman found dead at UGA intramural fields ID'ed as Laken Riley

Riley was a junior at Augusta University College of Nursing and attended its satellite campus in Athens located on Barnett Shoals Road. Riley, a Dean's List student at the nursing school, had attended UGA through the spring semester of 2023 before transferring to the nursing school. She was originally from Woodstock, Georgia.

Police said Riley was at the location to run and when she didn't return home as expected, a friend called UGA police shortly after noon. When the campus officer found her body, the report noted she had "visible injuries." Medics arrived and determined she was deceased.

Late Thursday, UGA Police Chief Jeff Clark confirmed during a press conference that Riley was a victim of foul play.

The woods at the recreational area where Riley was found are laced with trails and is a popular space for joggers and walkers.

After the slaying, UGA and Augusta University cancelled classes on Friday.

"The sudden loss of one of our students is truly heartbreaking," Augusta University President Brooks Keel said in a statement released by the college.

The homicide on campus grounds is the first since Jan. 8, 1996, when a newborn baby was slain inside the Oglethorpe House dormitory. That slaying remained unsolved until early last year when UGA police announced they had identified the mother through DNA evidence as the killer. She committed suicide about eight years after the infant was slain, police discovered.

Previous to the infant’s slaying, UGA student Donna Lynn Allen was killed Dec. 21, 1983, on North Campus. She was fatally stabbed. A man, who did not know Allen, was arrested and sentenced to life in prison.