Auburn freshman slain

AUBURN, Ala., March 5 (UPI) -- Authorities said Wednesday they had made no arrests in the shooting death of an Auburn University freshman found miles from the Alabama school's campus.

Lauren A. Burk, 18 of Marietta, Ga., was found with a single gunshot wound along Alabama 147 north of Auburn Tuesday night and died later at a hospital, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Her car was found burning in a parking lot near a campus dormitory shortly after she was found, the newspaper said.

"It's worse than losing a child to a car wreck," said family friend Dawn Barrs. "It's just a sincere tragedy ... a nightmare."

Auburn officials issued a statement, saying there was "no indication of additional danger to campus or student safety." However, the school of 25,000 students beefed up police presence.

"Meanwhile, students should be careful not just on campus, but within the larger community, and be alert at all times," the university statement said.

Burk belonged to Delta Gamma sorority and did not live on campus, authorities said.

Barrs said Burk's family had told her Burk was with her longtime boyfriend, also an Auburn student, about two hours before the shooting, but that Burk headed to the library to study "and never made it there."