What happened at the UGA campus? Investigation underway as nursing student found dead near Lake Herrick

Authorities are investigating the death of an unidentified Augusta University nursing student who was found dead near the University of Georgia (UGA) Intramural Fields on Thursday, February 22, 2024.

In a news conference Thursday night, Campus Police Chief Jeff Clark said campus police received a call just around noon from a concerned friend of the victim who reported they had gone for a run at the Intramural Fields but never returned.

Police who began to search for the individual twenty minutes after receiving the call, reportedly found her dead with “visible injuries” behind Lake Herrick in the forested area on the campus. Authorities said foul play was suspected in the case.

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What we know about the student found dead on UGA campus

The school spokesperson for Augusta University (AU) confirmed in a statement that a student was found dead on the UGA campus on Thursday afternoon. Identified as a student at the College of Nursing campus (AU) in Athens, as per Yahoo, the deceased woman was an undergraduate student at the University of Georgia until the spring of 2023.

In a press release, the UGA announced that classes on the Athens campus will be canceled this week and will resume on Monday.

“We are announcing that classes on the Athens campus are canceled after 5:30 p.m. this evening, February 22. They will remain canceled tomorrow. We will resume classes on Monday, February 26.”

The university, which confirmed foul play was suspected in the incident, encouraged all students faculty, and staff to download the UGA Safe app and travel in groups as police continue to investigate the case. They wrote:

“ In addition, all students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to download and use the UGA Safe app, which offers several important safety features, including emergency notification alerts and the ability to share location in real-time with the police, among others. We also recommend that you travel in groups when possible and be aware of your surroundings.”

The university urged anyone with information related to this incident, to contact the Campus Police Department immediately at 706-542-2200.

UGA also acknowledged the death of another student, Wyatt Banks, a freshman at the school who lost his life to suicide a day before the nursing student was found dead. The university said they are grappling with two tragedies in the past 24 hours.

“The past 24 hours have been a traumatic time for our University. Our student body is grieving the sudden death of one of our students in Brumby Hall last night. And as we continue to mourn that tragic loss of life, today’s devastating news will uniquely test the resolve of our campus community, particularly our students.”

The university said resources will be made available to those who need help processing their grief.