UGA Tragedy: Laken Riley (Local News)

(image courtesy of People.com)

Laken Hope Riley, an Augusta University nursing student, was found dead in the Intramural Fields at the University of Georgia (UGA) on February 22nd, 2024. 
​by Ansleigh Hester

image from UGA.EDU

Laken Hope Riley, an Augusta University nursing student, was found dead in the Intramural Fields at the University of Georgia (UGA) on February 22nd, 2024. The trial of Jose Ibarra (the arrested suspect) and debates on immigration have circulated after her death. 

Case Recap 
Laken Riley, a 22-year-old previous cross-country runner, left her apartment to run at the UGA Intramural Fields. Riley was jogging the wooded trail when she came in contact with suspect, Jose Ibarra. Meanwhile, hours later, Riley’s roommate noticed she hadn’t returned from her run, so she called the police. “Less than an hour later, police found Riley’s body behind the nearby Lake Herrick with “visible injuries.” The coroner’s office would later identify the cause of death as blunt force trauma,” Atlanta News First states.

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Riley’s phone (might) have called 911 during the attack, but the call had been declined, allegedly, by Ibarra. “It is unclear if Riley herself made the phone call, as well as what time the phone call was made. One of the multiple charges against Jose Ibarra, the 26-year-old accused of killing her, is obstructing or hindering a person making an emergency telephone call,” Atlanta News First elaborates. 
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“…Ibarra’s other charges include malice murder, felony murder, concealing the death of another person, kidnapping, false imprisonment, aggravated assault, and aggravated battery,”  Atlanta News First concludes. Ibarra remains in Clark County Jail. 

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image courtesy of UGA.edu

Safety Concerns 
Due to the death of Laken Riley, many students at UGA and surrounding colleges have become nervous about the potential risk. “The biggest thing is communicating and letting somebody know where you are at all times. With technology that helps a lot that people can track your location on making sure if maybe you had that on your cell phone if you’re running with a phone,” News Channel 6 includes. 
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Many girls who run track for the Davidson Fine Arts track and field team have developed a buddy system when running at the Intramural Fields. “I tell my mom that I’m going out for a run and I will bring my phone with me in case anything happens as well and I would ask my sister to come jog with me too,” track member, Simiyah Harper, says (News Channel 6 ). 

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image courtesy of fox10phoenix.com

Immigration Disagreement 
Riley’s tragic death has brought up lots of controversy with immigration. U.S. Representative Mike Collins proposed a legislation bill called the Laken Riley Act. “In general, the bill aims to toughen penalties for undocumented individuals accused of criminal activities. Under its provisions, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would be mandated to detain them upon facing criminal charges,” 11 Alive explains. 

If the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency got involved when Ibarra was first arrested in 2023 for endangering his wife’s 5-year-old son, it’s possible that Riley wouldn’t have been attacked (11 Alive). “We're going to take this piece of legislation and help make that law even better and make sure that local law enforcement, especially, can pass this information, especially on these lower crimes, on to ICE and get these people picked up," Collins informs (11 Alive). 

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image courtesy of fox10phoenix.com

Commemorating Laken Riley 
On March 1st, family members and friends described Riley as special, smart, compassionate, and thoughtful. “When the world loses someone like Laken, whose light consistently shined so bright, it seems much darker in their absence. Laken was special. She was a gift to anyone who knew her,” Samer Massad, pastor at Woodstock City Church, explains at Laken’s funeral (11 Alive News). 

Massad recounts Riley has a devoted daughter, friend, and sister. “But the most special thing about Laken was her faith in Jesus. She didn’t just believe it, she lived it," Massad added. (11 Alive News).

Riley’s mother, Allyson Phillips, expresses her daughter's death as a “senseless avoidable tragedy.” (NY Post) “...contributions to the new Laken Hope Riley Foundation “will go towards homicide awareness, safety for women and an organization that provides healthcare to families in need,” New York Post concludes.

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UGA Improvements 
Laken Riley’s legacy has inspired improvements to the UGA campus. “On February 27th, UGA officials announced a series of comprehensive enhancements to its campus safety initiatives, totaling an investment of more than $7.3 million,” Fox 5 News says. This will hopefully prevent another death, like Riley’s, on campus.