Students mourn, suspect arrested in murder of Indian-American student at U of Illinois

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Ruth George, a 19 year old student at University of Illinois, with a promising life ahead of her, was found sexually assaulted and murdered in the garage on campus on Saturday in the early morning hours Nov. 24, night. Her body was found around 11 am after her family reported her missing, New York Post and other media reported.

Students gathered for a vigil Nov. 25, 2019, to mourn her death, as police arrested a suspect in the brutal crime, George Thurman, who according to news reports, had confessed, nbcchicago.com reported.

George, a kinesiology major, originally from Hyderabad, was a honors student at UIC for the last two years.  She was in the family car and according to news reports, her family lives in the Naperville suburb of Chicago.

Thurman, 26, who is not a student at UIC, and whose relationship to George is not known, has been charged with first degree murder and sexual assault. Surveillance footage from the garage was used to identify him, NY Post reported quoting UIC police.

The UIC Chancellor Michael D. Amiridis, issued a statement Nov. 24, expressing “deepest sympathy.”

“All of us are devastated by the loss of Ruth George, a member of our Honors College and a talented kinesiology student with dreams and aspirations to become a health professional and help others. Our thoughts, our hearts and our condolences are with her family and friends during this trying period,” Amiridis said. Calling it a “traumatic loss” Amiridis  added, “As we mourn the loss of our student, I hope that this tragic event brings our community together to watch over and care for each other in the days and weeks ahead.”