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Laken Hope Riley's mom, Allyson Phillips, said that she was missing her daughter while on vacation in a Facebook post the day before Riley was found dead.
The Context
Riley, 22, a nursing student at Augusta University, was found unconscious and not breathing on Thursday afternoon in the woods behind Lake Herrick on the University of Georgia (UGA) campus in Athens, Georgia. She was pronounced dead on the scene and had visible injuries.
What We Know
Phillips took to Facebook on Wednesday afternoon to share pictures and videos of a family ski vacation.
"We had a great time with great friends celebrating Brinda's birthday in Crested Butte, CO! Massages, skiing, great food and beautiful views!" Phillips wrote. "Only thing missing was Laken Riley."
Newsweek reached out to Phillips via direct message on social media.
On Thursday at around noon, the UGA Police Department received a call from a friend of Laken who said that she had gone for a run at the Intramural Fields on campus earlier in that morning and had not returned, according to a statement from UGA.
Laken had been a student at UGA up until the spring semester of 2023 when she transferred to a nearby nursing program at Augusta University in Athens.
Police quickly located Laken and provided medical aid, but emergency medical responders determined that she was dead when they arrived on the scene.
What's Next?
UGA said that Laken's family was notified of her death and that UGA police are investigating her death as a homicide. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department and federal law enforcement are assisting in the investigation.
UGA Police Chief Jeff Clark said at a news conference late Thursday, "When you have a suspect that's on the loose, there's always a danger but there's no immediate danger at this time."
As of Friday mid-morning, police are on the scene at the Oconee Forest Park area of the Intramural Fields and UGA has asked people to avoid the area.
The university has asked anyone with information that could be helpful to the investigation to contact UGA police.
Update 2/23/24, 12:18 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
About the writer
Rachel Dobkin is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on politics. Rachel joined Newsweek in ... Read more