Police: Body pulled from Tidal Basin Thursday was of Chicago man

Washington Post ^ | 4-12-13 | Clarence Williams/Peter Hermann

[yldstrk]

A man found floating in the Tidal Basin early Thursday was a tourist from the Chicago area who disappeared near the same spot on Easter Sunday, officials said.

Sarath Kumar Potharaju, 35, of Grayslake, Ill., went missing the afternoon of March 31 during a tour that stopped at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. D.C. police said that it was unclear how he ended up in the water but that there were no signs of trauma.

“It’s still a mystery,” said Vijay Kolluru, an uncle who came to the District on Thursday. “We are still wondering how he ended up there,” he said.

Kolluru said his family is devastated; his sister in India is too shaken by the loss of her only son that she cannot speak on the phone.

“We are so deeply shocked. I don’t know how long it will take to come out of this shock.”

The uncle said that Potharaju had a contract to work at the International Monetary Fund for the week he disappeared. He had spent the weekend touring the city with relatives, the uncle said.

[yldstrk]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/police-body-pulled-from-tidal-basin-thursday-was-chicago-mans/2013/04/12/603caebc-

[martin_fierro]

Chicago tourist in DC.

Talk about tempting fate.

[Autonomous User]

Sleeping with the fishes.....

[Ditter]

When did we stop saying someone “disappeared” and started saying they “went missing”? It just sounds kind of clumsy and wrong to me.

[phockthis]

his sister in India is too shaken by the loss of her only son

???????

[tomkat]

              ^y

[M Kehoe]

[Tinfoil]

I'll bet this guy found out something about the IMF he wasn't supposed to.

[/Tinfoil]

5.56mm

[no-to-illegals]

had a contract to work at the International Monetary Fund

A clue?

[no-to-illegals]

Glad to see you are on this.

[oh8eleven]

his sister in India is too shaken by the loss of her only son ???????
Yeah, I had to re-read that sentence a few times (and a few others) to figure out what the "journalist" was trying to say.
It was actually Vijay Kolluru, being quoted about his sister who was the mother of the victim.

[muawiyah]

When it's near the Potomac, the Tidal Basin, Canal or other bodies of water in or around DC we always say 'disappeared'.

The most notorious killer around here is the Water Intake system below Great Falls above Key Bridge. People like to get too near it and it sucks them under.

This disappearance took place near the Tidal Basin ~ hence, it's another disapperance ~

[muawiyah]

But he was also with a tourist group (of relatives) so he went missing because someone noticed he wasn't around. They should have suspected a 'disapperance' into the nearby bodies of water!

No doubt they were all shaken ~ just like that GONE!

[E. Pluribus Unum]

It is racist to use three-syllable words.

[Lazamataz]

his sister in India is too shaken by the loss of her only son

I'm my own grampa.

[Ditter]

I remember hearing “went missing” back when Sandra levy disappeared but not before. I wondered if it was a common phrase in DC, but I guess not.

[Ditter]

If he was with a group someone should have heard a “splash”.

[Ditter]

thanks bro!

[ProtectOurFreedom]

The capstone classes in J-School these days are “Torturing the English Language” and “Confounding Your Readers.”

[ProtectOurFreedom]

“Went missing” is used in British English. I think American journalists have adopted it to look hip, but it sounds like an affectation.

[Ditter]

Sounds reasonable.