Sunil Tripathi Found Dead
Body of Missing Student at Brown Is Discovered
By JESS BIDGOOD
Published: April 25, 2013
The family of Sunil Tripathi, a Brown University student who disappeared last month - and was briefly misidentified as a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings - confirmed Thursday that his body had been found near Providence, R.I.
“On April 23, our beloved Sunil was discovered in the waters off India Point Park in Providence,” his family wrote in a statement.
Mr. Tripathi, 22, was taking a leave of absence from Brown when he left his apartment near campus on March 16, leaving his wallet, identification and bicycle at home. He did not return, setting off a round-the-clock search by his relatives, who temporarily moved to Providence and worked with the police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to try to find him.
“He’s very quiet, he’s very private, he’s very intellectual,” Mr. Tripathi’s mother, Judy, said in an interview last week. “He admitted to some depression, but he said that he could figure it out, he could handle it.”
His disappearance mystified the authorities and his family, who said they had been in daily communication with him before he left.
Last Thursday, shortly after the F.B.I. released grainy surveillance photographs of the two men they believed were the Boston bombers, some Internet users began to speculate that Mr. Tripathi might be one of them. They began posting messages suggesting as much on the Facebook page the family used to raise awareness about their search for Mr. Tripathi. As the policed pursued the two suspects on a fiery chase through the Boston area, the rumor spread, leading news vans to stake out the Tripathis’s family home in Bryn Mawr, Pa., and reporters to make dozens of calls to the Tripathi family’s cellphones.
“It was absolutely horrible,” said Ms. Tripathi, who said her family knew immediately that neither of the men in the photographs was her son - a man who they said literally would not hurt a fly, choosing instead to set insects free outside.
By last Friday morning, investigators had released the suspects’ names - Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev - absolving Mr. Tripathi of any connection to the case. Apologies began to pour in to the Tripathi family - including one from the online forum Reddit, where users had doggedly pursued the rumor - who began a new social media campaign they hoped would persuade Sunil to come home.
The authorities used dental records to identify the body as Mr. Tripathi’s. They did not immediately determine the cause of his death, but said his body had been in the water for some time.
“Be open to letting someone in when it is you who is faltering,” read the Tripathi family’s statement. “Lend your hand. We need it. The world needs it.”
Source: New York Times
The Tripathi Family's Statement:
On April 23, our beloved Sunil was discovered in the waters off India Point Park in Providence, Rhode Island.
As we carry indescribable grief, we also feel incredible gratitude. To each one of you-from our hometown to many distant lands-we extend our thanks for the words of encouragement, for your thoughts, for your hands, for your prayers, and for the love you have so generously shared.
Your compassionate spirit is felt by Sunil and by all of us.
This last month has changed our lives forever, and we hope it will change yours too. Take care of one another. Be gentle, be compassionate. Be open to letting someone in when it is you who is faltering. Lend your hand. We need it. The world needs it.
With love,
The Tripathi Family
Source: Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi Facebook Group
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Sunil Tripathi memorial fund.
As soon as we are able to, we will select organizations reflecting Sunil's spirit, particularly those focusing on mental health and environmental sustainability.
The Sunil Tripathi Memorial Fund, c/o Brown University
110 Elm Street, Box 1893, Providence RI 02912
Thank you for your love.
Source: Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi Facebook Group
By JESS BIDGOOD
Published: April 25, 2013
The family of Sunil Tripathi, a Brown University student who disappeared last month - and was briefly misidentified as a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings - confirmed Thursday that his body had been found near Providence, R.I.
“On April 23, our beloved Sunil was discovered in the waters off India Point Park in Providence,” his family wrote in a statement.
Mr. Tripathi, 22, was taking a leave of absence from Brown when he left his apartment near campus on March 16, leaving his wallet, identification and bicycle at home. He did not return, setting off a round-the-clock search by his relatives, who temporarily moved to Providence and worked with the police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to try to find him.
“He’s very quiet, he’s very private, he’s very intellectual,” Mr. Tripathi’s mother, Judy, said in an interview last week. “He admitted to some depression, but he said that he could figure it out, he could handle it.”
His disappearance mystified the authorities and his family, who said they had been in daily communication with him before he left.
Last Thursday, shortly after the F.B.I. released grainy surveillance photographs of the two men they believed were the Boston bombers, some Internet users began to speculate that Mr. Tripathi might be one of them. They began posting messages suggesting as much on the Facebook page the family used to raise awareness about their search for Mr. Tripathi. As the policed pursued the two suspects on a fiery chase through the Boston area, the rumor spread, leading news vans to stake out the Tripathis’s family home in Bryn Mawr, Pa., and reporters to make dozens of calls to the Tripathi family’s cellphones.
“It was absolutely horrible,” said Ms. Tripathi, who said her family knew immediately that neither of the men in the photographs was her son - a man who they said literally would not hurt a fly, choosing instead to set insects free outside.
By last Friday morning, investigators had released the suspects’ names - Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev - absolving Mr. Tripathi of any connection to the case. Apologies began to pour in to the Tripathi family - including one from the online forum Reddit, where users had doggedly pursued the rumor - who began a new social media campaign they hoped would persuade Sunil to come home.
The authorities used dental records to identify the body as Mr. Tripathi’s. They did not immediately determine the cause of his death, but said his body had been in the water for some time.
“Be open to letting someone in when it is you who is faltering,” read the Tripathi family’s statement. “Lend your hand. We need it. The world needs it.”
Source: New York Times
The Tripathi Family's Statement:
On April 23, our beloved Sunil was discovered in the waters off India Point Park in Providence, Rhode Island.
As we carry indescribable grief, we also feel incredible gratitude. To each one of you-from our hometown to many distant lands-we extend our thanks for the words of encouragement, for your thoughts, for your hands, for your prayers, and for the love you have so generously shared.
Your compassionate spirit is felt by Sunil and by all of us.
This last month has changed our lives forever, and we hope it will change yours too. Take care of one another. Be gentle, be compassionate. Be open to letting someone in when it is you who is faltering. Lend your hand. We need it. The world needs it.
With love,
The Tripathi Family
Source: Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi Facebook Group
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Sunil Tripathi memorial fund.
As soon as we are able to, we will select organizations reflecting Sunil's spirit, particularly those focusing on mental health and environmental sustainability.
The Sunil Tripathi Memorial Fund, c/o Brown University
110 Elm Street, Box 1893, Providence RI 02912
Thank you for your love.
Source: Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi Facebook Group