Student wrongly tied to Boston bombings found dead
Reddit apologized for the 'dangerous speculation' on the site that pointed fingers at the student.
A body pulled from the water off India Point Park in Rhode Island has been identified as the Brown University student mistakenly linked by amateur sleuths on a social media site to the Boston bombings.
The body of 22-year-old Sunil Tripathi was identified through dental records, Health Department spokeswoman Dara Chadwick said Thursday.
It was not immediately clear when Tripathi, who was last seen March 15, died. The cause of death has also not been determined.
Police said that no signs of trauma were found initially and that the investigation could take months.
Tripathi's body was found Tuesday by members of the Brown University crew team.
The Pennsylvania native was on leave from the Ivy League school but was living in an apartment near campus in Providence, R.I., with several other students.
After the April 15 bombings of the Boston Marathon, crowdsourcing groups drawing upon photos released by the FBI of a suspect erroneously reported via Reddit, a social news website, that the person in a baseball cap strongly resembled the missing student.
At one point, Tripathi's name landed on the Twitter top trends list.
"The last eighteen hours have generated tremendous and painful attention -- on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit, as well as from television media inquiries -- linking Sunil to the video stills released by the FBI yesterday afternoon," said Akhil Tripathi, Sunil's father, in a family statement last week, WPVI-TV reported.
"Unequivocally, we have known that neither individual suspected as responsible for the incident in Boston was Sunil," the statement said.
On Monday, Reddit general manager Erik Martin apologized for the "dangerous speculation" that "spiraled into very negative consequences for innocent parties."
In a blog post, he specifically apologized to the Tripathi family "for the pain they have had to endure."
"The Reddit staff and the millions of people on Reddit around the world deeply regret that this happened," he said.
"We all need to look at what happened and make sure that in the future we do everything we can to help and not hinder crisis situations," Martin added.
Martin's post was written before the student's body was found.
Tripathi grew up in Radnor, Pa., outside Philadelphia, and was studying philosophy, the university said in a statement. He was also an accomplished saxophonist.
"He was known to be a serious, thoughtful, intellectually curious student and a brilliant writer," said Brown President Christina Paxson. "Sunil will be remembered by all who knew him for his gentle demeanor and generous spirit."
Does an apology make everything ok? should not be sued? will the media learn from this? or will we see more media blame mongering of innocents and ruining lives?
Re: Student wrongly tied to Boston bombings found dead
I really sad to read
This is so multi dimensional that it is scarry! The possibilities of conspiracy theories that could be conjured up! He was eiher killed or killed himself. Fitnah is the word. So what would be the rule?
But the seed has already been sowed, anything happens, blame the .....
We can't let these situations to cause us despair.
Perhaps as penance, Reddit should make yearly public awareness campaign apology as a reminder to themselves and to others on the consequence of their irresponsible action. That way, for sure they won't forget and others may be more careful, less they have to do the same.
Re: Student wrongly tied to Boston bombings found dead
They in fact don't care whose lives they ruin and so long as we continue to have trials by a rabid media and net trolls this will continue to happen and happen. If you actually believe the dead boy and the one in the hospital are also culprits then you're to be pitied. Muslims just make nice sacrificial lambs.. first it is anyone with brown skin then zero down to a group most maligned and everyone happy to see them roast.
Re: Student wrongly tied to Boston bombings found dead
There is no indication that his death is connected to the Boston bombing. He disappeared a month earlier. Nor were the police in any way connected to the suggestion that he was a suspect.
This suspicion was cast not by the authorities or the mainstream media, but by ordinary people contributing to reddit, who identified several incorrect suspects in the first serious example of crowdsourced detective work. It's all too similar to the wild speculations of guys like Alex Jones, who routinely accuses all kinds of random bystanders of complicity in the explosions.
However, unlike Alex Jones, reddit would see themselves as a reputable site and I doubt they will ever want to attempt the same thing again.
Re: Student wrongly tied to Boston bombings found dead
format_quote Originally Posted by العنود
Media is not an authority it is a rumor mil
The media often jump to false conclusions in all kinds of crimes - especially the 24hr news channels who will interview anyone saying anything, if it fills a few minutes airtime.
But this particular case is a different kind of problem coming from ordinary people because of the internet.
Re: Student wrongly tied to Boston bombings found dead
A body pull from the water off India Point Park in Rhode Island was recognized as the Brown University student wrongly connected by part-time sleuths on a social media site to the Boston bombings.
Re: Student wrongly tied to Boston bombings found dead
I would love to say this to the idiots that falsely accused this innocent student:
HAPPY NOW! Bunch of morons.
This is what your so-called freedums lead you!
I was looking at myself talking to myself and I realized this conversation...I was having with myself looking at myself was a conversation with myself that I needed to have with myself.
Re: Student wrongly tied to Boston bombings found dead
format_quote Originally Posted by GuestFellow
I would love to say this to the idiots that falsely accused this innocent student:
HAPPY NOW! Bunch of morons.
This is what your so-called freedums lead you!
While I don't really approve of this sort of 'crowdsourcing' to identify the suspect, note that Sunil Tripathi had already dissappeared (and mostly likely robbed himself of his life) a month before the Boston bombings and his false identification on the reddit.
Also, what does this have to do with "our so-called freedums"?
Re: Student wrongly tied to Boston bombings found dead
format_quote Originally Posted by KAding
Also, what does this have to do with "our so-called freedums"?
I wouldn't take that post seriously. I was trying to imitate the comments of the daily mail readers.
I was looking at myself talking to myself and I realized this conversation...I was having with myself looking at myself was a conversation with myself that I needed to have with myself.
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