A 19-year-old student at the University of Illinois-Chicago was found dead in this weekend in a Chicago parking garage, and authorities believe she was murdered.
WMAQ-TV reports that a young woman found in a parked car on Saturday morning has been identified as a UIC student Ruth George. According to WLS, George’s family reported her missing, and police tracked her cell phone to Halsted Street Parking Garage, where they found her unresponsive in the backseat of a family-owned car on Saturday.
UIC police told the news station that George was a victim of foul play, and that an autopsy revealed she had been strangled. Police reportedly determined that an unidentified male had followed behind George in the parking garage in the early hours of Saturday morning, and that person of interest is now in custody.
WLS reports that the male in custody is not affiliated with the university.
George, who graduated from Naperville High School in suburban Chicago, was reportedly an honors student majoring in kinesiology, with aspirations of working in healthcare.
“The traumatic loss of life of one of our community members is very difficult to comprehend and surely invokes a range of emotions for all of us,” UIC Chancellor Michael Amiridis said in a statement obtained by WMAQ-TV.
“The safety and well-being of everyone at UIC is our foremost concern. I encourage you to continue to take advantage of the prevention tools and resources available on campus and to remain vigilant while you are both on and off campus.”
It is not known at this time if the person of interest in custody has been charged with a crime.
As authorities continue to investigate, police are asking anyone with information to contact the UIC Police Department at 312-996-2830.
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[Feature image: Ruth George/Facebook]
