LAFAYETTE, Ind. – DNA testing has confirmed that two human bones found this year in the Wabash River are the remains of Anik Paul, a missing Purdue University graduate student from Bangladesh, according to Tippecanoe County Coroner Carrie Costello.
Paul’s skull was found in May in the Wabash River in Warren County, and one of his leg bones was found in the river in southwestern Tippecanoe County. They both matched DNA from Paul’s family in Bangladesh, Costello said.
Paul died in the Wabash River after jumping from the John T. Myers Pedestrian Bridge around 3 a.m. on July 3, 2023.
Police, fire crews and teams from the Ministry of Natural Resources searched the river without success for weeks after Paul jumped from the bridge, searching the river and its banks as far south as Attica.
Recently returned DNA tests confirmed the grim discoveries earlier this year were Paul’s, Costello said.
Authorities released the information Friday after Paul’s family in Bangladesh was notified, Costello said.
There were no signs of foul play on Paul’s remains, and suicide has been determined as the manner of death.
People considering harming themselves can call 988, a 24-hour crisis hotline.
The 17-month search for Anik Paul
Surveillance cameras on the bridge recorded Paul, a 31-year-old Purdue student, jumping from the bridge just before 3 a.m. on July 3, 2023. A West Lafayette police officer searching for Paul arrived moments after Paul jumped and saw a person waving inside. in the river, according to police. It was the last time anyone saw Paul alive.
About 30 minutes before Paul jumped, he texted his roommate saying he had jumped, but the water wasn’t deep enough, so he was going to try again, police said.
Before Paul’s roommate received the text, he had reported him missing and said he would come over because he would be home. After receiving the text message, the roommate called the police again. With this new information, officers began searching bodies of water around West Lafayette, police said in 2023.
A West Lafayette officer arrived at the pedestrian bridge between Lafayette and West Lafayette and saw water splashing south of the bridge, police said.
Other people from the Lafayette area who may have gotten lost in the river
There are at least two other missing people from Tippecanoe County whose remains may be tied to the river.
According to Journal & Courier reports, on December 6, 2008, Steven Lee Smith fell from the railroad bridge into the Wabash River during a fight with his roommate who swung a bicycle lock at Smith while they were on the bridge. Smith’s roommate pleaded guilty to murder in 2010. Smith has not been seen since his disappearance.
Jennifer Schmidt was 19 and attending summer classes at Purdue when she went missing on August 6, 1985. According to Journal & Courier reports, she was last seen in the area of Grant Street and Northwestern Avenue.
Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.
This article originally appeared on the Lafayette Journal & Courier: DNA confirms bones found in river belong to missing Purdue student
