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A 22-year-old man has been charged with murder in the killing of a former Iowa State University student-athlete who was found dead Monday at an Ames, Iowa, golf course, police said.
Collin Daniel Richards, who authorities said has no known address, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of 22-year-old Celia Barquin Arozamena, Ames police said late Monday night.
Arozamena, the 2018 Big 12 champion and Iowa State Female Athlete of the Year, was found dead Monday morning at the Coldwater Links golf course, authorities said. The former civil engineering student was assaulted before she died, police said.
In a statement on Twitter, ISU President Wendy Wintersteen said she was deeply saddened to learn of Arozamena's tragic death. She was a "talented student-athlete and an acclaimed golfer with a bright future."
"A terrible, tragic, senseless loss," Wintersteen said.
Police responded at 10:24 a.m. to the golf course for a report of suspicious circumstances after golfers found a golf bag with no one near it on the course. Officers then found a body "some distance away," police said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, Ames Police Cmdr. Geoff Huff released few details during a news conference at City Hall, declining to comment on where the body was found or what injuries the golfer suffered. He called on the public to contact police if they saw anything suspicious.
"The public should be very wary right now," Huff told reporters. "Right now, all leads are important."
In a news release, Iowa State head women's golf coach Christie Martens called Arozamena a "beautiful person who was loved by all her teammates and friends."
"We will never forget her competitive drive to be the best and her passion for life," Martens said.
A native of Puente San Miguel, Spain, Arozamena had an infectious smile and a bubbly personality, Iowa State athletics director Jamie Pollard said. She volunteered as an ISU ambassador, he said.
Agents with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation were assisting Ames police, which called the death suspicious.
DCI assistant director Mitch Mortvedt said agents were investigating the death of a woman. Huff said the person, a golfer at the course, was an adult.
Mortvedt called the investigation Monday afternoon "very preliminary." After the body was found, Iowa State University sent an alert to students.
Officials asked the public to stay away from the course, located at 1400 S. Grand Ave. in the Story County city. No one answered the course's phone Monday afternoon.
The course was expected to be closed Monday and possibly Tuesday, Huff said.
Authorities asked anyone with information to call police at 515-239-5133 or the department's anonymous tip line at 515-239-5533. Tipsters can also contact Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa at 515-223-1440.
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