Tripathi family holds memorial service for deceased son

Sunil Tripathi's family hung photos throughout a chapel on the Brown University campus, welcomed friends and family into the small sanctuary and then simply sat in silence.

It's a tradition in Quaker services -- the idea being that anyone who feels moved to speak should do so. And during the memorial service last Saturday, those who knew and loved the 22-year-old Brown student and Radnor native did just that.

Sunil Tripathi went missing about a month ago in Providence; his family said he had suffered from depression and left a vague note that hinted at suicidal intent. But the Tripathis held out hope, marshaling an extraordinary social media campaign and traveling from Pennsylvania to Providence, R.I. to search for him full-time.

Their grief was compounded in the days after the Boston marathon bombing, when Sunil was falsely reported as a suspect in the attack on Twitter and other social media sites. The Tripathis were reeling -- but hoped that the burst of publicity, however negative, might reach Sunil and encourage him to come home.