Body of student falsely accused of Boston attacks possibly found

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: BBC

The body of a man found in a Rhode Island river may be a student mistakenly identified as one of the Boston bombers, authorities say.

The state medical examiner's office is trying to determine whether the dead man is Sunil ­Tripathi, 22, who has been missing since March.

Members of a university rowing team found the body on Tuesday evening.
...
Police Lieutenant Joseph Donnelly told the Boston Globe it was "very possible" that the body is Mr Tripathi.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22278224

---

(oops on the title ...)

[AndyTiedye]

1. Totally Wrong Headline

[sinkingfeeling]

2. Your title doesn't match the story.

[louis-t]

3. I think the senate minority killed that guy.

Oops......

[Dan Ken]

4. I had thought this was the most likely outcome

The guy was depressed and just walked off and probably jumped in tht cold March river waters.

[reflection]

5. I am torn between sadness and anger.

That poor guy. Whether he died from his own hand or someone else's, he was very much a victim of a rush to judgment.

[Yo_Mama]

19. Huh?

He'd been missing since mid-March. It is very sad indeed, but it is very unlikely that his death has anything to do with a "rush to judgment".

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Help-Us-Find-Sunil-Tripathi/403275636436466

[reflection]

29. Crap. I suck.

I inferred that he had ended up in the river after being falsely accused. That's on me, I'm sorry.

[Yo_Mama]

42. Apparently the poor guy suffered from depression

It IS very sad. You don't suck - the newspaper coverage isn't exactly the best nowadays. There's no way you could understand what happened from the article.

I had run across an appeal by the family, which is the only reason I knew. The reason it is so unlikely that his death had anything to do with the bombing is that he left his wallet and cell phone behind. March 16th, if I remember correctly. They went back and checked security videos to learn that much.

No one does that normally - he was either the victim of a crime or of his own despair. And he may have been wandering around in despair and then become a victim of a crime. I kind of knew this wouldn't end well when I read that he hadn't taken his wallet or phone. It was already the second week of April by then.

I hope it's not his body, but the odds are that it is.

[me b zola]

6. OK, I don't understand

The article states that this man has been missing since March but the bombing happened April 15~~~

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. He had nothing to do with the bombing

but people on the internet (Reddit, and others) had seen his photo - it had been news that he was missing - and thought suspect #2 was him.

[RILib]

8. VERY MISLEADING OP title

The guy has likely been dead for weeks. This has nothing to do with the accusations.

[dipsydoodle]

9. The falsely accused student had been missing March.

That is weeks.

[brett_jv]

10. I think it's kinda important to know how long the guys been dead ...

Before we start speculating about whether or not the bombing accusations could be related to his death.

And the article doesn't say, so ... we are all totally in the dark until we hear more.

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. No-one is suggesting the accusations are related to his death

The police are saying it's "very possible" that this is the missing student; his story became widely known when Reddit users incorrectly said he was the guy in the bombing video.

[brett_jv]

24. Well, without a time of death specified ...

I don't see why one COULDN'T ask whether or not they could be related, even if nobody has thus far.

I mean, unless there's some unwritten law I'm unaware of that says somebody categorically MUST have died with X days from the day they disappeared ...

Or am I missing something obvious here?

[muriel_volestrangler]

27. Are you saying that you want to start speculating?

That's the only reason I can think of for why you brought it up, and then say "I don't see why one COULDN'T ask ..."/

[brett_jv]

32. No, I was saying 'lets not' ... because I thought someone might ...

I thought that I was clear, but I guess I wasn't ... and do please see the earlier post by 'reflection' that got me thinking 'along the lines of where the discussion might go'.

Bottom-line, conspiracy theories are getting a little old to me right at this moment, and w/o a time of death ... who knows what kind of discussion might start up. I know I'm 'new' here, but ... I've lurked at DU for a long, long time ... I know how things (can) go

Edit: oh, check out the post from BanTheGOP below ... as if on cue ...

[Botany]

11. please delete this post

the student was missing since March .... the bombing was in April

[brett_jv]

12. How do these dates make the story unworthy of posting/discussion?

It says:

Sunil went missing in March

In mid-April, these bombings happened, and this guy was accused by some on the internet.

Later in April, he's found dead in a river.

That's all the story says ... what exactly is 'the problem' with an article posted with this news in it?

Also of note: Time of death is not specified in the article. Isn't the question of whether he died before or after the time of the accusations important to you? It is to me ...

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. I don't understand why you think it should be deleted

The excerpt does say the student was missing since March. In April, Reddit users incorrectly claimed he was suspect #2 in the bombing video. Now, a body which seems likely to be his has been found.

[Bully Taw]

16. To say that someone was falsely accused...

implies that he was officially declared a suspect by authorities. Reddit users are not authorities of anything but perhaps Reddit. Misleading headline to make a point...not what we want on here as that is the reason people jump to conclusions in the first place.

[muriel_volestrangler]

18. 'Accuse' is not limited to what authorities say

Anyone can accuse someone.

[Bully Taw]

21. in journalism, it is

the journalist should have expressed who accused the person in the headline if that were the case. Something like "Body of student falsely accused on Reddit of marathon bombing found in river".

The way it was done here implies it was authorities.

[muriel_volestrangler]

23. Then you're applying some American 'standard' of journalism

that is not part of normal British English usage.

[Bully Taw]

25. you are correct

I am very familiar with American journalistic style and usage, not with the British English usage. Either way, though, it is misleading. My assumption is that the British do not mind being mislead by headlines.

[muriel_volestrangler]

26. It's not misleading to us

because we have not come up with an arbitrary restriction of the meaning of 'accuse'. Neither have other countries, for that matter. Zola was not claiming to be part of the authorities when he wrote "J'Accuse".

[Bully Taw]

28. Ha!

ok.

[dipsydoodle]

30. ditto

Comments elsewhere here are indicative of problems not wholly unassociated with comprehension.

[Botany]

39. nice sentence can I steal it?

"Comments elsewhere here are indicative of problems not wholly unassociated with comprehension."


I don't understand it but damn it sounds like real smart talkin' and what not.


dipsydoodle =

botany =

[Bully Taw]

14. i have to agree

I think that the headline is far too misleading.

[muriel_volestrangler]

17. In what way is it misleading?

Tripathi is the "­student falsely accused of Boston attacks"; a body has been found, and it is "very possible" is it his, according to the police.

[Bully Taw]

20. already explained

see comment 16

[uppityperson]

22. Awwww, thanks for the notice. nt

[BanTheGOP]

31. He was either murdered by a republican right wing nut job

...or he committed suicide because of the Bush/Cheney sympathizers who yelled for his head. Pure and simple, the GOP is 100% responsible for his death, when you follow the chain to the top.

[octothorpe]

34. Do you actually believe that?

You don't think it's more possible that his death has nothing to do with the Boston bombings or people seeking revenge? The guy was missing for awhile before any of those events. Which suggests his death occurred after and was unrelated. For all we know he could have committed suicide or murdered for totally unrelated reasons, maybe it was an accident, maybe... who knows.

Poor guy already has his name and pictures ran through the mud because the media and internet people jumped to conclusions. How about showing some respect by leaving politics out of it unless there any actual evidence of what you suggested.

[muriel_volestrangler]

36. Well said (nt)

[warrprayer]

33. choose one

[muriel_volestrangler]

35. Here's what this looks like: a depressed man went missing

and then killed himself, probably very soon after going missing. After the publicity about the search for him, Reddit users thought he was suspect #2 in the bombing video. He was already dead by that time. Now, his body has been found.

There's nothing 'Matrix'-like about this.

[warrprayer]

37. and we are free to believe

or not believe that.

[muriel_volestrangler]

38. Be honest: had you heard of Trepathi before the Boston bombing? (nt)

[warrprayer]

40. no

and I readily admit any and all theorys at this point are pure speculation

[muriel_volestrangler]

41. But why would you start speculating?

We know who tied him to the bombings - Reddit users who just thought he looked like the guy in the video. They were wrong. So we're left with a man with a known history of depression, who disappeared, and now a body, probably his, has been found in a river not far from where he was last seen.

[crim son]

43. It really is rather ridiculous to try to tie him to the bombing

if he has indeed been dead for several weeks.