(NewsNation) — A Rice University student was found dead in her dorm room Monday alongside a deceased unidentified male in an apparent murder-suicide, university police said.
Rice University Police Chief Clemente Rodriguez said Andrea Rodriguez Avila was found dead in her dorm room on the Houston, Texas, campus on the first day of the semester after a family member asked for a welfare check. Avila’s records also revealed she missed classes that day, Rodriguez said.
Avila was found around 4:30 p.m. alongside the male suspect, who has yet to be identified and is not a member of the Rice University community, Rice President Reginald DesRoches said.
Upon discovering Avila’s body, the university implemented a shelter-in-place alert for nearly two hours while the Rice University Police Department investigated the incident. The university canceled all classes and activities for the remainder of the day.
“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,” DesRoches said during a news conference Monday night.
According to Rodriguez, a note from the suspect was discovered at the scene that indicated the man killed Avila before killing himself. It also indicated the two were in a troubled relationship, the police chief said.
It was also determined that the unidentified male had access to Avila’s dorm room, as there were no signs of forced entry, police said.
The shelter-in-place order was lifted shortly after 7 p.m. after being determined this was an isolated incident.
“The Rice campus is safe and there is no immediate threat,” DesRoches said.