Laken Riley's former roommate reveals that the student who was slain on a morning run was dedicated to fitness and had a passion for becoming a nurse.

Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia, was discovered dead by police on Thursday after she failed to return from her morning jog. Her friend and former roommate stated that she was an avid runner who had devoted her life to becoming a nurse and helping others.

During their freshman year at the University of Georgia, Bianca Tiller, 21, resided with Riley, as she revealed to Planet Chronicle Digital.

Riley consistently exercised in the morning and recorded her routes using an Apple Watch, according to Tiller.

UGA Police were called by a concerned friend after she failed to return from a morning run on Thursday. She was found near the intramural fields with visible injuries within 30 minutes of the call.

UGA Police announced murder charges against a 26-year-old suspect, Jose Antonio Ibarra, who had no known connection to the victim and is not a U.S. citizen, 24 hours after launching a homicide investigation and questioning a person of interest.

Jeffrey L. Clark, the UGA Police Chief, described the incident as a "crime of opportunity." Riley was a person who frequently went for morning runs.

"Tiller stated that she went on runs every day, even during her freshman year, and would become very hard on herself if she missed a day."

"I just want to really say that she was such an amazing person, and I just can't imagine anybody doing such a terrible thing to her." — Bianca Tiller, friend and former roommate

Tiller said that the runs she often took along Lake Herrick's trails were the ones where Riley's body was discovered.

The UGA alumna stated that she believed the area to be secure and frequently frequented by both students and locals.

"What really surprised me was that it happened in the middle of the day or the morning. It wasn't like she was running at nighttime," Tiller said. "The fact that it occurred during the day in a populated area, on a warm day when you would expect a lot of people to be outside, is just really shocking and didn't make sense."

"For it to happen during the day in such a populated area, on a warm day where you would expect a lot of people to be outside, is just really shocking and didn't really make sense."

Riley didn't have any enemies or ex-boyfriends that Tiller knew of, but Tiller observed that she graduated last spring and hasn't been in Athens since then.

"Tiller stated that she would always be there for everyone, and she would bring everyone together and strengthen friendships. He added that he had met numerous people through her and that she was the kindest person he had ever met. Nobody had anything negative to say about her."

Riley, after completing three years at the University of Georgia, enrolled in a nursing program at Augusta University's Athens campus, which is near UGA.

"Tiller stated that she had been desiring to become a nurse for a long time. At UGA, she was studying biology."

Tiller said that even before college, Riley had worked at a nursing home and often shared her experiences there.

Despite the low pay and challenging work, she found joy in assisting others, Tiller stated.