Duke students pay tribute to sophomore from Franklin, who went to a party and never came home
The photos show a young man in the prime of his life: smiling at a football game, posing cheerfully in a Santa hat, gliding on an ice rink in a Duke hockey uniform, wearing a suit and tie at the beach.
On social media this week, students at Duke University expressed their grief over the death of fellow student Michael Doherty, whose body was found in the woods of Franklin, Mass. on Saturday, the town where he grew up, after his disappearance prompted a weeklong search of swamps and marshland throughout the area. His cause of death is still under investigation, though no foul play is suspected.
Doherty disappeared on May 14, just days after he returned home from Duke for his summer vacation. Around 12:30 a.m. that day, he texted his brothers asking for a ride home from a party, according to The Boston Globe. When he didn’t receive a response, Doherty apparently decided to walk to the family’s home on Catherine Avenue in Franklin, traveling through the woods in the rain. He never came home.
“Michael was our middle son, the love of my life,” Nancy Doherty told the Globe on Wednesday afternoon. “We’re heartbroken, heartsick — still searching.”
In tributes posted on the university’s student-run Twitter and Instagram pages, Doherty’s friends remembered him as a charismatic guy who lit up a room, affectionately calling him by his nickname, “Dohboy.”
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“His adorable, smiling face will never leave my mind, and Mike serves not only as a shining reminder of not only how to be a good person simply by being empathetic and optimistic, but also how much doing all the little things the right way can positively impact the lives of so many,” student Aditya Joshi wrote.
Doherty was a compassionate and supportive friend who inspired anyone around him to be a better person, students said.
“He was the kind of friend who just gets it, who always knew when you needed a a shoulder to lean on or a joke or a smile,” student Vinny Thompson wrote.
Duke student John Clarke agreed: “You could never leave a conversation with Mike Doherty without a smile on your face,” Clarke wrote. “His kindness was infectious and made everyone around him a much better person.”
Many students talked about Doherty’s charm and charisma.
“He was encouraging, genuinely loving to everyone, and despite this being a cliche, Mike actually did light up every single room,” student Jake Young wrote.
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“I’ll never forget the way your presence could light up any room, and I’ll forever cherish all of the laughs and memories we shared,” student Louden Richardson wrote.”
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