Houston school shaken by murder-suicide on first day of fall semester at Rice University

On the first day of classes for the fall semester, an apparent murder-suicide occurred at Rice University in Houston.

During a welfare check by university police, a female student was discovered dead in her dorm room. Additionally, a non-student man was found dead in the same room with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, as confirmed by Planet Chronicle Digital.

The Dean of Undergraduates at Rice University, Bridget Gorman, named the student in a letter as Andrea Rodriguez Avila.

Gorman stated that the man discovered deceased with her "could have been familiar with Andrea."

"Gorman stated that there was no indication of a forced entry into her room. He added that RUPD is collaborating with the Houston Police Department and that the campus is secure."

The community is grieving the untimely death of a cherished individual, as stated by Gorman.

The school shared rapid-fire updates on its X account as the incident unfolded.

The school wrote at 6:30 p.m. local time that RUPD is investigating a potential homicide at Jones College. Students should stay in their rooms until further notice, while faculty and staff should shelter in place until further notice.

The lockdown was lifted after 45 minutes, but the school canceled all classes and activities for the day.

The residential colleges at Rice University are 11 separate communities where students reside, dine, and engage with peers, faculty, staff, and alumni, as described on the school's website.

About 8,500 students attend Rice, a small school, with an annual tuition of approximately $60,000.