Michael Doherty, a missing Duke student, was confirmed dead after remains found in a wooded area in Franklin, Massachusetts, on Saturday were identified.
Doherty had been missing for almost a week after he left a party early on Sunday morning and never made it home, according to Fox25. The medical examiner’s office said there did not seem to be any signs of foul play, but no cause of death has yet been announced.
Friends of Doherty told police they thought Doherty had planned to cut through the woods to go home even though it was raining heavily and strong winds were moving through the area at the time, Fox25 said.
According to reports, Doherty was coherent when he left the party around 1:30 a.m. Searchers found the body around 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the woods near Route 495, Massachusetts Live reported.
Doherty was a sophomore engineering student at Duke who was also a fraternity member, Mass Live said.
Police released a statement expressing condolences to Doherty’s family and thanking law enforcement and community members, who spent days searching for Doherty.
"Our first thought is with Michael’s family and friends; to them we extend our sincere condolences,” Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey said, according to the Boston Globe. "I would be remiss if I did not thank the Franklin police, regional and state law enforcement and so many in the community for their days and days of sustained searching in difficult terrain. The result was not what we had hoped.”
The Duke community honored Doherty on its Twitter site @DukeStudents today.
Other Twitter users commented on the incident.
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