Sunil Tripathi, the Indian-origin youth who was misidentified as the key suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings, was found dead on Tuesday.
Members of the Brown University crew team on 23 April found a body lying in the waters off India Point Park in Providence, Rhode Island. The body was later confirmed to be of Sunil's on the basis of the dental forensic report.
The cause behind the death of the 22 year old has not been confirmed yet.
Sunil's family confirmed his death via a Facebook page they had opened after he went missing on 16 March. "On April 23, our beloved Sunil was discovered in the waters off India Point Park in Providence, Rhode Island," read a comment.
"As we carry indescribable grief, we also feel incredible gratitude. To each one of you-from our hometown to many distant lands-we extend our thanks for the words of encouragement, for your thoughts, for your hands, for your prayers, and for the love you have so generously shared.
"Your compassionate spirit is felt by Sunil and by all of us."
Sunil, who was a philosophy major at Brown University, had taken an approved leave of absence last year. The family said he was under depression and left a note before he disappeared from his apartment.
Sunil was mistaken to be one of the main suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings case after investigating officers released images of the suspects. Soon, social media sites and various media houses alleged that it was Sunil behind the devastating attack that killed three and left over 170 injured.
The family eventually suspended the Facebook account after several people began sending threatening and abusive comments to his family.
Later, investigating officials revealed that the suspects were two brothers - Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev - of Chechen origin. Dzhokhar, 19, is under police custody in a Boston hospital while his elder brother Tamerlan, 26, was killed following a shootout with law enforcement officials near Watertown on 18 April.
After it was confirmed that the Chechen brothers were behind the attack, Sunil's sister Sangeeta Tripathi told news organization Mother Jones: "The hardest part of this was how far from any actual evidence there actually was, and how quickly and how painfully this traveled...We find it incredibly unfortunate that media outlets were so quick to jump without checking with authorities, but we hope they use the same energy and intensity they showed in the past 24 hours to really help us find Sunil."
