The students and staff at Rice University are reeling from a suspected murder-suicide committed this week, claiming the lives of a student and her boyfriend.
Campus police at the Houston college reported to the community that a female student—later identified as Andrea Rodriguez Avila, who was in her junior year—was found in her dorm room on Monday August 26. She had been fatally shot and was found alongside a man who was not a student and had apparently killed himself with the gun.
In a public address given to the community, Rice president Reginald DesRoches said he is “heartbroken” to announce that Avila had been killed. He explained that her body was discovered when campus police took on a welfare check around 4:30 on Monday afternoon.
Though police have yet to identify the man who was found dead with the student, he was 22 years old and is believed to have been dating his victim, based on a note he left about being in a “troubled relationship” with the girl.
The welfare check was prompted by a family member expressing concern that they had not heard from Avila and requested campus police to ensure her safety. The university police chief, Clemente Rodriguez, shared that officers then discovered that the student had missed class and subsequently went to her dorm room to offer assistance if needed.
Rodriguez noted that they “discovered her” when they entered the room and that there was no indication that the man—who was also not registered as a visitor—had forced his way into the building. A lockdown and shelter-in-place order was issued for about two hours after the murder-suicide was uncovered. It was lifted around seven o’clock that evening.
Avila’s parents were contacted about the tragedy by the university, which also arranged their flights out to Texas, which were early on Tuesday morning. The deceased student originally hailed from Maryland, where she attended community college for two years before transferring to Rice University.
The tragedy took place on the first day of class, but the rest of the day’s classes and activities were cancelled upon the discovery of the bodies. The university also cancelled classes and activities on Tuesday August 28.
