ATHENS, Ga. — Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray took time on Monday to address the murder of nursing student Laken Riley that happened on the University of Georgia campus last month.
Wray was attending UGA's Getzen Lecture on Government Accountability, which is an annual lecture series presented by the Department of Public Administration and Policy, according to the school's website.
The purpose of the speech was to discuss how the FBI helps investigate abuses of power, but before Wray went into detail on these points, he took time to pause and touch on Riley's alleged murder.
Riley was a 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student who was killed while going for a run on UGA's campus in late February. She was found dead in a wooded area behind a lake near UGA's intramural fields by campus police on Feb. 22.
Her death then became a flashpoint in the conversation of U.S. border security after authorities named Jose Antonio Ibarra the suspect in the 22-year-old's death. Ibarra, a 26-year-old from Venezuela, had entered the United States illegally in 2022, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Wray said he wanted to take the time to address Riley's murder as it's been something he knows has been on people's minds across the country and said he's heartbroken for all communities involved.
"A lot of people -- students, alumni and community members alike -- see Athens as a kind of safe haven from what ails so much of the rest of the country. And I'm saddened to see that sense of peace shattered by Laken's murder and the subsequent arrest of a Venezuelan national who'd illegally entered the country in 2022," Wray said.
The director said he wanted people to know that those at the FBI's resident agency in Athens, Atlanta's field office and offices across the country stand with the university and the communities grieving during this time. He said they're doing everything possible to help achieve justice for Riley.
You can watch the full FBI director's full remarks at UGA regarding Laken Riley's death here.
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