The life of 22-year-old college student Otto Warmbier, who died earlier this week after being detained for a nearly a year and a half in North Korea, is being remembered in his Ohio hometown on Thursday.
Dozens of mourners arrived at the morning memorial service for Warmbier held in the auditorium of his alma mater, Wyoming High School. The memorial is open to the public, but not the media.
“This process has been an example of evil and love and good,” Ohio Sen. Rob Portman told reporters outside the service, Fox 19 reported. “This community and country have come together who are holding this family up in prayer.”
OTTO WARMBIER’S DEATH PROMPTS US TO WEIGH OPTIONS VS. NORTH KOREA
Related Image
Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, speaks to the press before the funeral of Otto Warmbier, Thursday, June 22, 2017, in Wyoming, Ohio
(AP)
He added: “We have also seen evil. He should’ve never been detained. The North Koreans need to be held accountable for that. They have demonstrated that they have no respect for the rule of law and they showed a lack of respect for basic human dignity and rights. The fact that they didn’t tell his parents after he became ill is atrocious. Today is not a day to only focus on that.”
Also expected to attend the memorial are Ambassador Joseph Yun, the U.S. special envoy who traveled to Pyongyang to bring Warmbier back, and Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan, the Department of State said.
At a candlelight vigil Tuesday on the University of Virginia campus, Warmbier’s girlfriend at the time of his detention described the loss of a soul mate. Alex Vagonis said she drew some peace from knowing Warmbier got home to Ohio before his death.
Warmbier’s family objected to an autopsy, so the Hamilton County coroner’s office conducted only an external examination of his body. Medical records have been reviewed, and his condition was discussed extensively by treating physicians at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he was hospitalized after his June 13 return.
OTTO WARMBIER’S FAMILY DECLINES AUTOPSY
Related Image
Mourners arrive for the funeral of Otto Warmbier, Thursday, June 22, 2017, in Wyoming, Ohio.
(AP)
Wambier’s parents cited “awful, torturous mistreatment” by North Korea. Doctors last week said he suffered a “severe neurological injury” of unknown cause.
He was sentenced in March 2016 to 15 years in prison with hard labor. His family said it was told he had been in a coma since soon after his sentencing.
He is the first American to die after being released from North Korean custody in half a century.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow the story at Fox 19.
