Found Deceased Italy - John Durkin, 21, Rome, 19 February 2014

[mpnola]

I don't know any man that would take his wallet and passport out of his pants and place them on the bar counter. Those things are easily stolen and are valuable. It makes me lean towards them being purposely left. I wonder if his demeanor was different that night according to his friends?


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Exactly. I worked with adults with mental health issues for 16 years. I had a couple that, sadly, committed suicide. They generally left behind belongings (ID, purse, etc) I am guessing so they would be available for family, etc.

 

[LookingHoping]

Read more: http://www.wmur.com/news/investigation-continues-in-students-death-in-rome/24648248#ixzz2uLJAJM00

"The Italian newspaper Roma Today said a train station camera shows a young man walking alone on the tracks overnight. Investigators said Durkin walked about a mile before entering the tunnel where his body was found.

How he ended up in the tunnel and why he had no identification isn't clear. The loss is resonating in his hometown of Rye."

Toxicology reports may be back today from what this article says.

 

[~n/t~]

So was he run over by the train ? It's still unclear to me.

 

[LookingHoping]

When the toxicology reports come back we'll at least know what he had in his system. Weird how it says it 'appears' he was hit by a train. It doesn't say anything about staggering, just walking down the tracks and into a tunnel. STRANGE! I think they're going to find he had roofie in his system. Go to WMUR TV on Facebook and read the comments on the article.

 

[Hap]

I did read that he was run over by the train. Very awful and heading to WMUR to read....

 

[danzn16]

Exactly. I worked with adults with mental health issues for 16 years. I had a couple that, sadly, committed suicide. They generally left behind belongings (ID, purse, etc) I am guessing so they would be available for family, etc.

It seems most of the suicide cases I've read about, they leave their IDs behind. Idk if it's because they don't want to be identified if they are found so their family won't have to face the pain of suicide or what exactly. I can't think of any case where someone left their ID behind, especially at a location other than their home, who was murdered.


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[necco]

I wonder if he smoked cigarettes. I've been to plenty of European bars where people go out the side door for a smoke, leaving it propped open a smidgen. If he smoked, this could explain why he left his stuff inside. Maybe the door prop failed and he couldn't get back in the bar because his ID was in there and decided to walk home.

That's the most logical reason I can come up with for why he left his stuff behind. Oh. Or if he went outside a side door to um… mark his territory so to speak. If the men's room line was long, college boys tend to go where they can sometimes, especially if they've been drinking.

 

[danzn16]

I wonder if he smoked cigarettes. I've been to plenty of European bars where people go out the side door for a smoke, leaving it propped open a smidgen. If he smoked, this could explain why he left his stuff inside. Maybe the door prop failed and he couldn't get back in the bar because his ID was in there and decided to walk home.

That's the most logical reason I can come up with for why he left his stuff behind. Oh. Or if he went outside a side door to um… mark his territory so to speak. If the men's room line was long, college boys tend to go where they can sometimes, especially if they've been drinking.

But why would you leave your only source of leaving the country (your passport) behind regardless if you were just going to the restroom? It only takes a second for someone to grab it and you're SOL in a foreign country. It would never leave me


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[MamaJoJo]

But why would you leave your only source of leaving the country (your passport) behind regardless if you were just going to the restroom? It only takes a second for someone to grab it and you're SOL in a foreign country. It would never leave me


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BBM
And he would know that.

 

[necco]

But why would you leave your only source of leaving the country (your passport) behind regardless if you were just going to the restroom? It only takes a second for someone to grab it and you're SOL in a foreign country. It would never leave me


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Honestly? Because college kids who have been drinking don't always have stellar decision making skills. As humans, our prefrontal cortex (the portion of the brain that controls executive functions in the brain, including good decision making) does not fully develop until about age 25.


Obviously, I don't know WHY he did it, was just coming up with a plausible reason besides suicide that he could have left his stuff behind.


Also, you're not SOL if you lose your passport, especially in Rome. With as much time as he had left in country, getting a replacement when in a city with a US embassy is no big deal. A bit of a pain in the tuchus, but not a big deal.

For more info about the prefrontal cortex's functions, you can start here: Prefrontal cortex - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[LookingHoping]

http://www.pressherald.com/news/Sec..._Durkin_walking_on_train_tracks_in_Rome_.html <snippet> BBM

"Authorities released no new details on the case Wednesday, including whether Durkin&#8217;s identification had been located.

An autopsy was scheduled, as were toxicology tests, although results were not available.

Durkin went to the bar with friends who left at about 1:30 a.m. while he remained. He left at 2 a.m. when the bar closed but his movements in the four-hour window from 2 a.m. to when he appeared on the camera near the train station are not known.

Sloppy Sam&#8217;s describes itself as &#8220;the only dedicated American bar in Rome.&#8221; It has English-speaking staff and shows American sporting events on television, according to its Facebook page."


The toxicology results are in, I would imagine. I wonder if they've found something and therefore are not releasing them while they investigate OR if they found nothing and family maybe requested they not be released. Where was he for those 4 hours?

 

[necco]

Wait, so where did the info that his stuff was left in the bar come from?

 

[LookingHoping]

John is a linebacker for Bates College. 6'1, 210 pounds, definitely a guy that could defend himself in a normal situation.

What makes this situation particularly odd is that John left all his important belongings at the Spanish bar: phone, wallet, and passport. The friends that had last seen him said he was not notably drunk and was not a known drug user. While it has not been ruled out, a significant amount of Bates students that know John have expressed serious disbelief at the idea that John may have gone off to find drugs.

I've been looking through all the articles and cannot find it. I swear I read it early on that he left behind his belongings… yet this post is all I can find now…..

 

[necco]

So. If he didn't leave his stuff behind and he was staggering 4 hours later…

Mugged with a head injury?
Robbed by a pretty woman who invited him back to her place?

 

[LookingHoping]

http://www.pressherald.com/news/Sec..._Durkin_walking_on_train_tracks_in_Rome_.html

Snipped from above. "Authorities released no new details on the case Wednesday, including whether Durkin&#8217;s identification had been located.

 

[Hap]

Here is the only place I have seen it?

 

[LookingHoping]

My hope is that the lack of toxicology results and info on the wallet/phone are positive in that they have something and are investigating. I do not see how this is a kid who was so drunk he went and passed out for 4 hrs, woke and walked down train tracks into a tunnel as the sun came up. Those are just my own thoughts.

 

[Elainera]

So. If he didn't leave his stuff behind and he was staggering 4 hours later…

Mugged with a head injury?
Robbed by a pretty woman who invited him back to her place?

My hope is that the lack of toxicology results and info on the wallet/phone are positive in that they have something and are investigating. I do not see how this is a kid who was so drunk he went and passed out for 4 hrs, woke and walked down train tracks into a tunnel as the sun came up. Those are just my own thoughts.

Gone somewhere else to drink some more?

 

[Hap]

John is a linebacker for Bates College. 6'1, 210 pounds, definitely a guy that could defend himself in a normal situation.

What makes this situation particularly odd is that John left all his important belongings at the Spanish bar: phone, wallet, and passport. The friends that had last seen him said he was not notably drunk and was not a known drug user. While it has not been ruled out, a significant amount of Bates students that know John have expressed serious disbelief at the idea that John may have gone off to find drugs.

Caronant, did you read that his belongings were left at the bar? Can you share the source for it?

 

[caronant]

Hap, my friend was close with John at Bates and is also friends with several of the Bates and Trinity students who were abroad with John.