The tragic murder of Laken Riley: Internet heartbroken as teacher reveals slain student's childhood dream

ATHENS, GEORGIA: Slain Augusta University nursing student Laken Riley's first-grade teacher has revealed the Riley's childhood dream, per Fox News.

Riley, a nursing student at Augusta University in Athens, Georgia, went for a routine run on Thursday, February 22 morning and crossed paths with an illegal immigrant who police say beat her to death near Lake Herrick on the University of Georgia campus in a crime of opportunity.

Who killed Laken Riley?

Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, was arrested on Friday, February 23 and charged with murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing the death of another, according to UGA police Chief Jeffrey Clark. Ibarra lives in Athens but he is not a US citizen.

He also has no known affiliation with the university and this is why investigators do not believe Ibarra knew Riley.

What did Laken Riley's father say?

Riley was born in Georgia, United States, in 2001 to John Phillips and Allyson Phillips. She grew up in Woodstock alongside her sister, Lauren Phillips.

Riley's father issued a statement on behalf of the family on a GoFundMe page. He wrote, "On behalf of our entire family we would like send out a heartfelt thank you for your donations and overwhelming support."

He added, "Laken was an amazing daughter, sister, friend and overall person in general. Her love for the Lord was exemplified in every aspect of her life. She will be missed every day, but we promise to honor her life moving forward in a very big way. Every single dollar donated will go towards starting the Laken Hope Riley Foundation and will be used to drive homicide awareness and safety for women. Again, thank you for your kind support and we love you all!"

What was Laken Riley's childhood dream?

As per Tweet shared by Fox News, Riley's first-grade teacher shared Riley's photo along with a heartwrenching note capturing Laken’s childhood dream written when she was her young student, "When I grow up, I want to be a nurse beacause it helps people to get better and it looks very fun to help people.

The same picture was shared on X and many people mourned the death of young Laken. One user wrote, That’s truly heartbreaking RIP LAKEN RILEY."

The next user wrote,"Round every illegal up and send them back." 

Another user said, "She should still be living and fulfilling that dream. Unfortunately an individual that should not have been in the Country. Should not have been released took that dream and her life. Capital Punishment sentence."

One user mourned, "Now she has no future. Her family must be heart broken. I will be praying for them."

One user lamented, "Whatever law is enacted to Close the Border should be named after Laken Riley SAY HER NAME!!"

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.