An independent autopsy on the body of Pravin Varughese, commissioned by the family has found several discrepancies with the official report.

Charles Stegmeyer, the attorney for the family, said the autopsy showed Varughese had a “significant number of bruises on the hands, head and torso.”

This conflicts with the official report by the Carbondale Police Department. Police Chief Jody O’Guinn said in a press release Feb. 18 the body showed no signs of trauma.

Advertisement

Stegmeyer said the medical examiner had not determined a cause of death as of yet, but was looking into how long it would take a person of Varughese’s height, weight and age to succumb to hypothermia.

Stegmeyer also said the family is conducting an independent investigation funded by a large group of supporters of the family from Chicago.

The investigator is looking into the events surrounding Varughese’s death. The body was found without shoes in only a t-shirt and blue jeans. Stegmeyer said the independent investigator is looking to obtain the t-shirt Varughese was found in from the police in order to test for DNA.

He said to his knowledge the shoes have not been found.

He was also critical of the circumstances surrounding the investigation, particularly the state trooper who only conducted a cursory search with his flashlight at the scene of the disappearance.

“There was no backup calls or other officers,” he said. “There was no crime scene investigation. There was no attempt by this state police officer himself or any other local officer to search the area in which Pravin was finally found.”

Stegmeyer said the police need to investigate all matters similar to Varughese’s because of the reputation they currently hold.

Advertisement*

“We feel it’s incumbent — a duty if you will — on the police in Carbondale based upon the previous incidents that have occurred down there that something like this would certainly necessitate an investigation.”

He said the Varughese case, as well as the Molly Young case involving a 21-year-old SIU student whose death was ruled a suicide under suspicious circumstances, shows a growing trend of peril for students in Carbondale.

Chancellor Rita Cheng said she did not want to make any conclusions based on one unusual and tragic event.

“We can, however, draw from what we do know, and that is that students and staff tell us that they feel safe and comfortable at SIU,” she said. “We also are proud of the diversity of our campus at all levels. We have a reputation and a legacy as a welcoming campus to people of all backgrounds from all over the world.”

However, Stegmeyer said the investigator was more skeptic.

“The investigators feel that what’s occurring down there is certainly an area of some danger,” he said. “And when you have students from other areas, especially from different countries and different states, they may be in some jeopardy if you have a police department that doesn’t care to investigate these types of events.”

He said the group of supporters plans to hold a benefit next month for the family.

Carbondale Police did not respond to multiple phone calls at the time of publication.

Seth Richardson can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter at @EgyptianRich or at 536-3311 ext. 268.