A student at Texas' Rice University was found fatally shot in her dorm room Monday in what police are now investigating as a murder-suicide.
It was the first day of the fall semester when university police received a call from Andrea Rodriguez Avila's relative asking if authorities could perform a welfare check on the junior student after being unable to reach her, Rice University Police Chief Clemente Rodriguez said during a press conference.
After determining she had missed her classes that day, Rodriguez said police entered Avila's Jones College dorm room around 4:30 p.m. to discover the Maryland native deceased. An unidentified male, who is not believed to be affiliated with the university, was also found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
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Investigators believe the pair were involved in a "troubled" dating relationship, Rodriguez said, after finding a note written by the male at the scene. The note's contents are also why authorities believe the male shot Avila before shooting himself, the police chief said.
The discovery of the two deceased sent the Rice University campus into a nearly two-hour lockdown on Monday before all classes and activities were canceled for the remainder of the day. And despite police saying it was an isolated event, classes were again canceled on Tuesday.
"Tonight, I want all of our students, our parents and the entire Rice community to know that the Rice campus is safe, and there is no immediate threat. And tonight we will wrap our arms around our students," Rice University President Reginald DesRoches said during the Monday press conference.
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Police are still trying to determine the extent of the relationship between the two deceased and whether the male was from Florida. They believe he likely entered Avila's dorm hall with her and didn't forcibly enter.
DesRoches said the university was flying Avila's parents out Tuesday morning and asked the community to comfort each other as the investigation continues.
"The pain we feel on campus tonight is immeasurable, and I know that words cannot fully capture the sorrow and grief that many of you may be experiencing," DesRoches said in a press release Monday. "I urge you to lean on each other, to offer support and compassion, and to remember that we are all joined in our grief and care."
