TORONTO – Officials have confirmed that the body of a man found in a river in Providence, Rhode Island is that of a Brown University student wrongly identified as a Boston bombing suspect on social media last week.
In an e-mail with Global News, Rhode Island Health Department spokeswoman Dara Chadwick said the body of 22-year-old Sunil Tripathi was identified Thursday morning through a forensic dental exam.
The cause of death has not been determined and is pending further studies.
A message believed to have been posted by the victim’s family on the Facebook page “Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi” said the following:
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“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”
Tripathi had been missing over a month and many on social media claimed that Tripathi was one of the two suspects being sought by police over the Boston Marathon bombing.
On Monday, Reddit General Manager Erik Martin apologized, denouncing its role in the “online witch hunt” for the Boston bombing suspects that resulted in spreading of false information.
– with a file from Nicole Bogart, Global News
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