Missing Bates student in Rome found in train tunnel.

Parent Cafe
1

<p>Doesn’t appear to be foul play.
<a href=“Bates student John Durkin dies while on study-abroad program in Rome | News | Bates College”>http://www.bates.edu/news/2014/02/22/durkin-death-announcement/&lt;/a&gt;
Sometimes I think kids should be locked up for a few years and grilled on common sense.</p>

<p>So sad to see.</p>

2

<p>Actually, so far there is no cause of death. His body could have been dumped there, for all we know. Presumably they will do an autopsy that should reveal more.</p>

3

<p>So sad. My heart goes out to all who loved him.
Your post is cross-ways though–if it’s not foul play then what does common sense have to do with it?</p>

4

<p>Well his body was hit by the train and I assume they can tell if he was alive or dead when he was hit.</p>

5

<p>It’s tempting to speculate as to what happened but perhaps it’s better to wait until there’s a formal police report. At this time very little information has been released. In the meantime, this sad event is a reminder to hug our kids a little tighter and never take the time we have with them for granted.</p>

6

<p>Just quoting CBS news, but I am happy mine is not even 100 miles away at the moment.</p>

7

<p>Where does it say he was found in a train tunnel? </p>

8

<p>It’s been on CNN.
<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/22/world/europe/italy-american-student-missing/index.html?hpt=hp_t2”>http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/22/world/europe/italy-american-student-missing/index.html?hpt=hp_t2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

9

<p>There is still no info as to why he left his passport, phone, wallet and all valuables at the bar and somehow ended up in the train tunnel. Tragic! Hope more information may give the family and loved ones more peace and closure–sounds very odd to me that he would leave everything at the bar. </p>

10

<p>I missed where it said he left everything at the bar.
I did read he left the bar alone at 1:30am and that his cellphone & accounts had not been used since his disappearance.</p>

11

<p>Just tragic. I hope his family is able to get some answers on what happened so there is at least some closure. </p>

12

<p>At least they found him right away.
A high school classmate of Ds disappeared in New Orleans and he wasn’t found for months.</p>

13

<p>So very sad. I was so hoping he would be found safe and sound. My heart goes out to his family. </p>

14

<p>I haven’t seen anything about his leaving his belongings in the bar.</p>

15

<p>I read in one or more of the news articles, but sometimes reports are incorrect, especially when each reporter is trying to get the earliest story with the most info. I’m sure we always hope folks will be found safe and sound. These incidents are always so sad and troubling, heartbreaking to everyone, especially the loved ones of the newly deceased. </p>

16

<p>The latest article in the Portland Press Herald just says that there was no id on the body, and that he hadn’t used his cell phone or credit cards. It sounds to me more likely that he was robbed. Leaving a bar popular with foreign students alone in the wee hours of the morning…sounds like a likely target, despite his size.</p>

17

<p>Consolation, that would be my first guess, too. Maybe by a gang, given his size. Possibly he started fighting back and it turned into a robbery gone horribly wrong. </p>

<p>I also feel so horribly sad for the Bates community. This is the 3rd tragic death of a student since my kid has been a freshman. :frowning: </p>

18

<p>He was found with no ID and video surveillance shows him walking over a mile on the train tracks, after the trains had stopped running. The autopsy and toxicology reports are expected shortly. The dad and uncle are in Italy waiting for results and to bring his body home. So very sad – seems like he was an incredible young person. </p>

<p><a href=“Investigation continues in student's death in Rome”>http://m.wmur.com/news/investigation-continues-in-students-death-in-rome/24648248&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

19

<p>First, sad and prayers to the family. Second, neither of my kids will study abroad in Italy. The area he was in was not the best. Plus, the police in foreign countries can be very different than in the U.S. theft is a huge problem in Italy, ask anyone who has traveled there and openly witness the pickpockets on the trains and out in the street. They work in groups. I am sick for this young man and his family, but each and every abroad program needs to be very honest about safety. I loved visiting rome, but this concern was so stressful. We were in rome 5 days, witnessed in broad daylight 7 pickpockets, of which we tried to run interference 3 times. They will slash your bag to get into it, forget the zipper. Tourists are easy targets. They won’t file police reports because of the time involved they think, so every tourist attraction is filled with these thieves. We were not victims, but you have to be on guard always and we wore money belts. If his stuff is missing, I would suspect he was a theft victim. And after Amanda Knox, Americans are viewed differently. </p>

20

<p><a href=“http://www.revealedrome.com/2010/11/how-safe-is-rome-italy-crime-statistics-european-capitals.html”>http://www.revealedrome.com/2010/11/how-safe-is-rome-italy-crime-statistics-european-capitals.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I’d be more worried about sending my kid to DC or Boston. Remember the Swedish nanny murder?</p>