Suspect taken into custody after nursing student found dead on UGA campus

Laken Hope Riley, 22, was found dead on Thursday afternoon on the University of Georgia campus

A suspect has been taken in custody after an Augusta University College of Nursing student was found dead on the campus of the University of Georgia, authorities said.

Earlier in the day, police could be seen searching the area around an apartment complex in Athens after they announced they had identified a “person of interest” in the death of 22-year-old Laken Riley.

The suspect’s name has not yet been released. A news conference will be held at 7pm ET to provide more details on the case.

“A suspect in the murder of Laken Riley has been taken into custody by the University of Georgia Police Department,” the university posted on its website. “At this time, there are no indications of a continuing threat to the UGA campus related to this matter.”

Riley went for a jog at the university’s intramural fields on Thursday morning and never returned.

Laken Riley went for a jog on Thursday morning and never returned. Her body was found hours later (Supplied)

Her roommate became concerned and called police around noon, University of Georgia Police Chief Jeffrey L Clark said at an earlier press conference.

Riley’s body was found around 12.38pm in a wooded area behind Lake Herrick, Chief Clark said.

UGAPD is working with the Athens-Clarke County Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in the ongoing investigation. The Athens coroner confirmed on Friday that Riley’s body was taken to the GBI Crime Lab in DeKalb County.

Coroner Sonny Wilson told CNN that her cause and manner of death are pending an examination of the body, which is scheduled for Friday.

Riley was not a student at the University of Georgia but instead was a nursing student at Augusta University, which has a campus in Athens, University of Georgia, reported The New York Times.

Augusta University said they are in a partnership with UGA, allowing students to participate in UGA campus activities.

Classes were cancelled on Friday at the university.  They are expected to resume on Monday.