ATHENS, Georgia — Days after Laken Hope Riley was found dead on the University of Georgia campus, friends and classmates are remembering the 22-year-old as a kind young woman who “brought so many people together.”
Bianca Tiller, who roomed with Riley during their freshman year at UGA, said, “She was the sweetest, most pure-hearted young woman” who “brought so many people together and developed so many friendships.”
“I came into UGA knowing less than a handful of people and she brought me into her friend group, never let me feel left out,” Tiller said about Riley. “She made everyone smile and and is such a kind soul.”
“The great thing about Laken, everyone she met could instantly tell what a great heart she was,” Tiller added.
Tiller said her former roommate loved to run and kept track of her runs on her Apple Watch. Riley always shared her phone’s location with her friends, Tiller said.
Riley’s body was found with “visible injuries” in a forested area behind Lake Herrick on Thursday, police have said. She had gone out for a jog at the Intramural Fields that morning, and when she didn’t return hours later, her friend called the police.
Riley died of blunt force trauma.
The suspect, identified as Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, of Athens, has been charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and concealing the death of another, police said Friday.
There was no indication that Ibarra and Riley knew each other, according to UGA Police Chief Jeff Clark, who called it a “crime of opportunity” and said there was no further threat to the campus. Ibarra was being held in the Clarke County Jail.
Roommates, friends remember Riley as selfless, loving
Lilly Steiner, another friend from UGA, thanked Riley in a tribute posted Saturday on Instagram for “helping me find the joy in life.”
“You put everyone before yourself everyday, and you loved like no one else,” Sofia Magana, one of…
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