Georgia communities are in mourning after the body of a 22 year-old woman was found in a secluded area near the University of Georgia in Athens on Thursday, February 28th. The victim, Laken Riley, attended the nearby Augusta University College of Nursing.
Riley’s body was found near running trails on Thursday, after a friend told police she had not returned from her usual morning run. Officers began to search and eventually found her body in a forest surrounding Lake Herrick, near a popular trail for runners. Her cause of death was ruled as blunt force trauma.
A police investigation was immediately launched, centered on a nearby apartment complex. Security footage from the campus led investigators to the suspect, Jose Antonio Ibarra, who was taken into custody and now faces multiple charges including malice murder, false imprisonment, kidnapping, and concealing the death of another.
Authorities have revealed that Ibarra migrated to the United States from Venezuela. He was arrested in September 2022 by Border Patrol for illegally crossing the border. However, Ibarra was released quickly with temporary permission to stay in the country. The suspect has also been arrested for dangerous driving and in connection with a shoplifting case.
The murder of the Augusta University student has sparked many disputes over immigration policies. Many conservative politicians, such as Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, have expressed views that the killing was linked to immigration policies set in place by President Joe Biden.
Similarly, former President Donald Trump called Ibarra a “monster,” while blaming Biden for “an invasion that is killing our citizens.” Many other politicians are also claiming that Biden’s immigration policies have overwhelmed the country with more migrants than the system can handle.
The violent killing has also heightened safety concerns across UGA’s campus. Students have expressed that many people are fearful of walking alone on campus. On Tuesday, the university announced plans to increase safety measures, which includes more funding for campus police to recruit more officers, more security cameras, lighting upgrades, and license plate readers.
“It’s scary knowing that it could just happen to anyone,” shares sophomore Ashlyn Shalet. “I think it’s a call for schools and [universities] to have better security, but also for people to just be more aware of their surroundings.”
On Monday, hundreds of students gathered for a vigil on campus to mourn the life of Riley. The vigil was held by UGA’s Alpha Chi Omega sorority, which Riley was an active member of. She was also an experienced runner and participated in her high school’s state cross-country final several times. As the Athens community continues to mourn the loss of Laken, the environment on campus remains heavy.
