This article contains graphic descriptions of a homicide. Please take care while reading.
Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student in Athens, Georgia, was found brutally murdered in late Feb. 2024 near the University of Georgia campus. Her death prompted UGA and Augusta University, where Riley was enrolled, to cancel classes for several days, and details have now emerged about how she died.
Early reports said Riley’s body was recovered in a park area close to UGA. Riley’s friend prompted the search when Laken failed to return from a jog near the campus. Police said Riley had “visible injuries,” and was not breathing when her body was discovered.
The next day, 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra, an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, was arrested for Riley’s murder, according to Fox5Atlanta. Riley and Ibarra didn’t know one another, police said, and details are scarce about Ibarra’s motive. Police have called it a “crime of opportunity.”
Laken Riley had tried to call 911
According to WSBTV.com, Jose Ibarra allegedly attacked Laken Riley sometime between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, and dragged her to a secluded area. Riley’s phone data indicate that at some point, she tried to call 911.
Atlanta News First says Riley’s murder happened the same day as the nationwide AT&T cell outage, and it’s unclear whether Riley’s emergency call was answered. Police have confirmed that “no dialogue” of the phone call exists. Among other charges, Ibarra is charged with “obstructing or hindering a person making an emergency telephone call.”
Laken Riley died from blunt-force trauma
Since Laken Riley died, court documents have also confirmed her cause of death: Blunt-force trauma to the head, “disfiguring” Riley’s skull. It’s not clear if Riley was sexually assaulted. To date, Jose Ibarra is accused of malice and felony murder, kidnapping, false imprisonment, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, and concealing the death of another person, as well as the 911 call charges mentioned. As of March 6, 2024, Ibarra was held without bond in the Clarke County Jail and had not yet entered a plea, according to The Atlanta-Journal Constitution.