The Boston Globe reports sad news today: the Bates College junior from Rye Beach, New Hampshire who was reported missing on February 19th has now been reported dead.

The 21-year-old was on a study-abroad trip along with 54 other students in Rome; the Italian Railway Police reported online that the body of a 21-year-old United States citizen had been found in a station tunnel after being struck by a train. It has now been confirmed that the body is indeed John Nolen Durkin.

Complying with the family’s wish for privacy, no further details have been released to the public, and no other students were involved in the incident. According to the “John Durkin Missing” Twitter account, the last time that he was seen by his friends was on Wednesday at Sloppy Sam’s, an American bar in Rome.

We are following up with people who were at Sloppy Sam's Wed, 2/19. John was last seen 1:30 am and studying abroad through Trinity College.

— John Durkin Missing (@JDurkinMissing) February 22, 2014

An economic major and linebacker at Bates College, the school will hold a memorial gathering on Monday at 4:30 p.m., and deans and chaplains are available to meet with any students on campus. Durkin was remembered in prayer Saturday during an afternoon Mass in his hometown at the St. Theresa Church, as the town’s high school hockey team dedicated their win to John Durkin’s memory.

“We will remember the fortitude and character that John displayed on a daily basis and attempt to emulate those standards. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Durkin family during this difficult time.”
– Mark Harriman, Bates College Head Football Coach

Image via NDN