Tragedy struck at Rice University yesterday when a junior student was found dead in her dorm room on the first day of the fall semester. The student, identified as Andrea Rodriguez Avila, was discovered alongside an unidentified man who appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to a Houston Chronicle report.
"It is with deep sadness and shock that I write to you on what should have been a day filled with promise and new beginnings. Instead, we find ourselves mourning the loss of one of our own in a tragic event that has shaken our campus to its core," Rice University President Reginald DesRoches wrote in a statement obtained by the Houston Chronicle. Instead, he stated, the university community is mourning the loss of one of their own, a sentiment echoed across campus where classes were canceled today following the incident.
Officials announced the lockdown, which lasted for about an hour yesterday for students and staff. There were no signs of forced entry, and authorities stumbled upon a note, which pointed to troubles in an apparent dating relationship between the two, Rice University Chief of Police Clemente Rodriguez said, as reported by the Houston Chronicle. The shelter-in-place was eventually lifted, and the Rice community was urged to support each other through this difficult time.
In a related coverage, CBS News noted that the welfare check was prompted by a family member concerned about not hearing from Avila. "So we made entry to the room and that's when we discovered her," Chief Rodriguez told CBS News. The man found in Avila's room was not a registered visitor or a member of the Rice community.
President DesRoches, who is also a parent of a past Rice student, expressed the collective heartbreak of the university, "As a parent of a past Rice student, I can only imagine how devastating this must be," he told CBS News. Avila's parents are being flown out as the university and its members grieve the untimely loss.
