The brutal murder of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus last week has sparked concerns among other students and women joggers who run alone.

Riley, a student at Augusta University, was allegedly murdered by 26-year-old Jose Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, while she was jogging along dirt trails near Lake Herrick in Athens in what UGA Police described as a “crime of opportunity.”

“It’s a mother’s worst nightmare,” Michelle, the mother of a female UGA student and a UGA alumnus, previously told Fox News Digital.

Michelle said she’s told her daughter countless times to be careful when she walks alone and to only go running with her Labrador retriever.

The Harford County Sheriff’s Office is still searching for the suspect, described as a Hispanic male, in Morin’s murder. His DNA was tied to a home invasion in Los Angeles earlier in 2023.

A photo of Rachel Morin is posted to a tree by her family along the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air, Md., Aug. 10, 2023. The 37-year-old was murdered while hiking the trail. (Mega for Fox News Digital)

In a lengthy statement regarding campus safety released Tuesday, UGA said it will be taking $7.5 million in new safety measures, including a permanent 20% increase to the UGA Police Department budget, plus “more security cameras and lighting upgrades as well as adding license plate readers and the installation of combined security camera-blue light call box systems in strategic locations across campus.” 

Additionally, a new ride-sharing program will offer a 50% discount on Lyft rides for UGA students between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Blue light boxes with cameras will be added throughout campus, the school added.

UGA Police Chief Jeffrey L. Clark speaks to the media after Laken Riley was found dead in the woods behind the campus intramural fields in Athens, Ga., Feb. 22, 2024. (Joshua L. Jones/USA Today Network)

“Every day, the officers and supporting staff of the UGA Police Department devote themselves to protecting the campus community,” Clark said in a statement. “These additional funds will have a measurable impact on our safety efforts, supporting the excellent work of our dedicated police department team and our partners.”   

John Phillips, Riley’s stepfather, thanked the public for its “overwhelming support” and donations to a GoFundMe page, “Laken Riley Memorial.”

“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,” he said.