Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia, went missing on February 22, 2024, after leaving for a jog on the University of Georgia (UGA) campus. Hours before her disappearance, she sent a text to her mother at 8:55 a.m., but after that, there was no further communication. Her mother’s anxious response, urging her to call, went unanswered. A friend contacted UGA police at 12:07 p.m. when Riley failed to return, and officers began their search. Shortly after, they found Riley in the woods behind Lake Herrick, injured and unconscious. Despite attempts at medical intervention, she was pronounced dead at the scene. Surveillance footage captured her last moments just before she went missing. Her family, including her sister, Lauren Phillips, mourned her passing publicly, expressing deep sorrow over the loss. Riley had previously attended UGA before transferring to Augusta University’s nursing program.
