Laken Riley case: Georgia authorities announce suspect in custody in nursing student’s slaying

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Georgia investigators conduct search near apartment complex where they questioned person of interest in student homicide

Campus and county police were seen alongside GBI investigators searching through trash cans and a dumpster near the apartment Athens complex where they questioned a person of interest in the death of Laken Riley.

ATHENS, Ga. – Georgia authorities have taken a suspect into custody in connection with the suspected homicide of a 22-year-old nursing student from Augusta University who police found dead on the University of Georgia campus Thursday.

“At this time, there are no indications of a continuing threat to the UGA campus related to this matter,” the school said in a statement. A news briefing was scheduled for 7 p.m.

Officials told Fox News Digital that UGA police were questioning a person of interest earlier in the day.

Riley had previously attended UGA before entering a nursing program at Augusta’s Athens campus, where she made the Dean’s List.

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA POLICE QUESTIONING ‘PERSON OF INTEREST’ IN LAKEN RILEY HOMICIDE

Laken Riley smiles for a photo while running. Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was found dead near a lake on campus on Thursday, February 22, 2024, after she failed to return from her morning jog. (Laken Riley/Instagram)

Police were asking anyone who saw anything “relevant or suspicious” between 7 a.m. and noon Thursday around UGA’s Intramural Fields and Lake Herrick to call 706-542-2200.

That’s where they found Riley – with “visible injuries” – within 30 after they received a call from a concerned friend who said she went for a run and didn’t come back.

Flowers under the sign at Lake Herrick, where Georgia nursing student Laken Riley was found dead Thursday after failing to return home from her morning run. (Audrey Conklin/Fox News Digital)

GEORGIA NURSING STUDENT FOUND DEAD ON UGA CAMPUS IDENTIFIED AS LAKEN RILEY

Laken Riley poses for a photo posted to Facebook. Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was found dead near a lake on campus on Thursday, February 22, 2024. (Allyson Phillips/Facebook)

Autopsy results remained pending Friday, but authorities said they were investigating her death as a homicide.

Classes and events at both universities were canceled Friday.

Laken Riley poses for a photo posted to Facebook. Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was found dead near a lake on campus on Thursday, February 22, 2024. (Laken Riley/Facebook)

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Lake Herrick is part of UGA’s campus, nestled between various university practice fields and Oconee Forest Park. The lake is bordered by a pedestrian trail and has a recreational beach. Authorities are asking the public to avoid the area as they investigate.

The last time UGA reported a homicide on campus was 20 years ago, UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark said during a Thursday evening news conference. The police chief said that there was not “immediate danger” on campus.

Michael Ruiz is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to michael.ruiz@fox.com and on Twitter: @mikerreports