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Autopsy on Halifax PhD student pulled from Italian river reveals he drowned: report

Saint Mary's University is seen in this undated file photograph. File/Global News

Italian media are reporting that autopsies conducted on a Halifax PhD student and his friend revealed the two men drowned.

Their bodies were pulled from the Po River in Turin, Italy, last week. La Repubblica reported Monday that officials are still waiting for the results of toxicology tests on Saint Mary’s University student, Blair John, 28, and another man.

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An undated photo of Blair John, a PhD candidate at Saint Mary’s University, who died in Turin, Italy.
An undated photo of Blair John, a PhD candidate at Saint Mary’s University, who died in Turin, Italy. Saint Mary's University

Saint Mary’s issued a statement June 5 stating John was originally from the Bahamas and had been a student at the university for two years.

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The other victim has been identified by Italian and Bahamian media as Alrae Ramsey, 29, a foreign service officer from the Bahamas.

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The two men were reportedly college friends and had been spending time together during a short vacation in the Italian city. Italian media say Ramsey’s body was discovered in the river on June 4, and John’s body was found in the water the next day.

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Bahamas news organization The Tribune reported that John’s mother, Cathleen Rahming, said her child was a strong swimmer and that she didn’t believe his death was an accident.

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