Killing of Laken Riley Was 'Crime of Opportunity,' Police Believe Suspect Acted Alone

Jose Ibarra has been charged with murder in connection with the death of 22-year-old Laken Riley

• Laken Riley was found dead after she went missing while out on a jog, per authorities
• Police believe the suspect, Jose Ibarra, did not know Riley prior to the incident
• Ibarra is accused of "disfiguring" the skull of Riley during the attack, an arrest affidavit claims

The killing of a 22-year-old college student found dead on the University of Georgia campus after disappearing while on a jog was a “crime of opportunity,” the university police chief has said, per reports.

Laken Riley, a nursing student at Augusta University's campus in Athens, Ga., was found dead with “visible injuries" near a lake on Thursday, authorities previously said.

Jose Ibarra, 26, has been charged in connection with Riley’s death, according to an arrest affidavit reviewed by PEOPLE.

Jeffrey Clark, the chief of the University of Georgia police, has said there appears to be no personal motive behind the crime and that the suspect and victim did not know each other.

The killing was "a crime of opportunity,” Clark said, according to The New York Times and ABC 30. He said Ibarra reportedly acted alone, per the outlet.

"I think this was a crime of opportunity, where he saw an individual and bad things happened," Clark said, per ABC 30.

Related: Court Documents Detail Brutal Killing of Laken Riley, Georgia Nursing Student Slain While Jogging

Riley's cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, Sonny Wilson, the coroner at the Athens-Clarke County Coroner's Office and Morgue, previously confirmed with PEOPLE.

An arrest affidavit reviewed by PEOPLE revealed gruesome details about the killing and accused Ibarra of “disfiguring [Riley's] skull."

Ibarra is also accused of using “an object” to harm Riley during the incident and “physically” hindering her from making a 911 call, per the affidavit, which further states he also allegedly dragged her body to a secluded area.

He was arrested last Friday and has been charged with several offenses, including murder, kidnapping and assault, online court records show. 

Since her death, Riley is being remembered as a loyal friend with an infectious energy.

She “lit up every room she walked into and brought a smile on everyone’s face,” her former roommate Bianca Tiller said, per The New York Times.

“My friendship with Laken Riley was one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever received,” her friend Anna Womack wrote in an Instagram post. “Laken is defined by selflessness, grace, and determination.”

She was an experienced runner and was a member of her high school cross-country team, per The New York Times. 

Keith Hooper, her former coach, said she also participated in the Georgia High School Association State Cross-Country Final, the outlet reported.

She was an “unselfish individual,” Hooper said.

Related: Ga. College Student Who Went for Jog Was Found Dead with 'Visible Injuries,' as Police Suspect Foul Play

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Ibarra reportedly lived in an apartment near the wooded trail where authorities found Riley’s body, The New York Times reported. 

He is a Venezuelan citizen who entered the U.S. unlawfully in 2022, according to immigration authorities, CBS reported.

He had a prior arrest in New York City for allegedly driving a scooter without a license while carrying a child without a helmet, a law enforcement official told The New York Times. 

11Alive reports that after that arrest, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would have had the opportunity to take Ibarra into custody. But according to an ICE statement obtained by the outlet, Ibarra "was released by the NYPD before a detainer could be issued."

He is now being held without bail in Clarke County, online records show. Attorneys listed for him have not responded to PEOPLE’s request for comments.

Records do not indicate if he has entered a plea to the charges he is facing.

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