A tragic discovery was made on the campus of Rice University in Houston, Texas, on Monday, the first day of the semester, when a student was found dead in her dorm room alongside a deceased male, university officials said.
According to Rice University Police Chief Clemente Rodriguez, the student, identified as Andrea Rodriguez Avila, was found unresponsive in her room around 4:30 p.m. after a family member requested a welfare check. Avila had missed classes that day, which raised concerns about her well-being.
The male suspect, who is not affiliated with Rice University, was found dead alongside Avila. His identity has not been released pending further investigation. A note discovered at the scene suggested that the man killed Avila before taking his own life, and that the two were in a troubled relationship, Rodriguez said.
The university immediately implemented a shelter-in-place alert, which remained in effect for nearly two hours while the Rice University Police Department investigated the incident. All classes and activities were canceled for the remainder of the day.
Rice President Reginald DesRoches expressed his condolences during a news conference on Monday night, saying, “This is a speech that no president wants to make. I’m heartbroken to share the loss of one of our students, Andrea Rodriguez Avila.”
Police found no signs of forced entry into Avila’s dorm room, indicating that the male suspect had access to the room. The shelter-in-place order was lifted shortly after 7 p.m. after it was determined that the incident was isolated and there was no immediate threat to the campus community.
DesRoches reassured students and faculty that the campus is safe, saying, “The Rice campus is safe and there is no immediate threat.”
