Harsha Maddula funeral set for Monday
Friends and family members of Harsha Maddula attend a vigil and ceremony took place at Northwestern University in the Evanston campus in Evanston, IL. (Sept. 28, 2012) Credit: Carlos Javier Ortiz
The funeral for the Northwestern University student from Garden City Park who disappeared this past month and whose body was recovered Thursday from Lake Michigan north of Chicago is planned for Monday.
The family of Harsha Maddula, 18, arranged the funeral through Park Funeral Chapels, 2175 Jericho Tpke., New Hyde Park. Visiting will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the family said Sunday.
"The Maddula family announces with great sadness the loss of their beloved son," the family said Sunday in a brief prepared announcement.
The sophomore pre-med student, who was last seen leaving an off-campus party about 12:30 a.m. Sept. 22, drowned, according to an autopsy by the Cook County medical examiner. His body was found in Wilmette Harbor north of Chicago.
The report did not say whether the death was accidental. Police said they have found no evidence of foul play. The cause has been termed "undetermined" pending toxicology tests.
"We need to find the answers," Sushma Maddula, a cousin speaking for the family, has said. "That is what is truly upsetting: We don't have answers to our questions."
At a vigil outside the university library last week, about 500 people -- including five religious groups -- offered Maddula's family prayers, condolences and a celebration of the student's life.
Dozens of relatives, neighbors and friends visited the family's home on Fourth Street in Garden City Park on Saturday, some arriving with flowers.
Kumari Maddula, whose son is Harsha's cousin, has said the family is grief-stricken.
"What can they do? Sometimes they're crying, then they're OK again," she said. "Anybody can understand how they feel and what they're doing. What else can they do? Nothing."
