Tripathi’s body identified, family asks for privacy
27 April 2013 6:37 AM IST
Sunil Tripathi’s family has sought ‘privacy’ for itself after forensic dental examination confirmed the body found in Providence River was that of the missing Indian origin student. ‘On April 23, our beloved Sunil was discovered in the waters off India Point Park in Providence. At this time, the cause of death is pending further study, and his family has been notified,’ his family wrote in a statement after the Rhode Island health department confirmed the identity of the 22-year-old’s body.
Dara Chadwick, spokesperson for the medical examiner’s office, could not confirm, however, whether the body would remain at the office. Lindsay Lague, spokesperson for the police department, told ABCNews.com, ‘There is no foul play suspected.’
‘This last month has changed our lives forever, and we hope it will change yours too. We appreciate the coverage and support, but at this time, we ask for privacy for our family and for our love for Sunny,’ Tripathi’s family said, expressing its ‘indescribable grief’ and gratitude.
‘For more than a month our community has sought to support the Tripathi family in their courageous and tireless efforts to search for Sunil,’ Brown University president Christina Paxton said in a message to the university community.
‘We extend our deepest condolences to Sunil’s family for their loss and for the immeasurable pain they have endured during this period,’ she said. The university is planning a memorial service to honour Tripathi’s life. Tripathi took a leave from Brown and left his apartment near campus on March 16. He left his wallet, identification and bicycle at home. His not returning set off a round-the-clock search by his relatives, who temporarily moved to Providence and worked with the police and the FBI to try to find him.
‘He’s very quiet, he’s very private, he’s very intellectual. He admitted to some depression, but he said that he could figure it out, he could handle it,’ Tripathi’s mother, Judy, told New York Times in an interview last week.
Last Thursday, shortly after the FBI released grainy surveillance photographs of the two Boston bombing suspects, some internet users began to speculate that Tripathi might be one of them. ‘It was absolutely horrible,’ Judy was quoted as saying. She said her family knew immediately that neither of the men in the photograph was her son, a man who they said literally would not hurt a fly, choosing instead to set insects free outside.
Dara Chadwick, spokesperson for the medical examiner’s office, could not confirm, however, whether the body would remain at the office. Lindsay Lague, spokesperson for the police department, told ABCNews.com, ‘There is no foul play suspected.’
‘This last month has changed our lives forever, and we hope it will change yours too. We appreciate the coverage and support, but at this time, we ask for privacy for our family and for our love for Sunny,’ Tripathi’s family said, expressing its ‘indescribable grief’ and gratitude.
‘For more than a month our community has sought to support the Tripathi family in their courageous and tireless efforts to search for Sunil,’ Brown University president Christina Paxton said in a message to the university community.
‘We extend our deepest condolences to Sunil’s family for their loss and for the immeasurable pain they have endured during this period,’ she said. The university is planning a memorial service to honour Tripathi’s life. Tripathi took a leave from Brown and left his apartment near campus on March 16. He left his wallet, identification and bicycle at home. His not returning set off a round-the-clock search by his relatives, who temporarily moved to Providence and worked with the police and the FBI to try to find him.
‘He’s very quiet, he’s very private, he’s very intellectual. He admitted to some depression, but he said that he could figure it out, he could handle it,’ Tripathi’s mother, Judy, told New York Times in an interview last week.
Last Thursday, shortly after the FBI released grainy surveillance photographs of the two Boston bombing suspects, some internet users began to speculate that Tripathi might be one of them. ‘It was absolutely horrible,’ Judy was quoted as saying. She said her family knew immediately that neither of the men in the photograph was her son, a man who they said literally would not hurt a fly, choosing instead to set insects free outside.
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