Last Thursday morning, 22-year old Laken Hope Riley went out for a jog on the University of Georgia Athens intramural fields. When Laken failed to return home, her friends reported her missing. UGA Campus Police began searching the area and discovered her body a few hours later. She had been badly beaten and was dragged off the path to a secluded, wooded area.
Security cameras on campus helped lead to her killer’s quick apprehension. He has since been charged with kidnapping and murder. The suspect was identified as having entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and had been living in New York prior to coming to Georgia. Investigators described this as a crime of opportunity, with the two having never met before the incident.
Laken Hope Riley was a native of Woodstock, Georgia.
Her love of nursing and caring for others led her to attend the University of Georgia and then later begin a nursing program at the Augusta Medical College’s campus in Athens. She excelled academically and made the Dean’s List this past Fall.
Laken was an avid runner, a beloved member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and was very active with her faith and the church. She inspired both classmates and teachers alike with her love of learning and her kindness. Friends remembered the young woman as sweet and kind, as having the best southern manners and always had a smile on her face.
Laken will be laid to rest on Friday.
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