Third memorial service planned for Oglethorpe Student

Memorial services for Erik Downes - the student who went missing in Costa Rica Jan. 4, and whose body was recovered days later - are planned in Boston next month.

According to Erik's father, Elvis Downes, the services will be held Sunday March 6 at Hyde Park Seventh Day Adventist Church located at 6 Webster Street in Hyde Park, MA. The time of the services are scheduled from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. The services, Downes said, are for his friends and family who live in the Boston area since he split his time between both parents, who are divorced. Erik's mother planned a service for Erik in Ft. Myers florida in January. Oglethorpe University also hosted a memorial service for Erik.

Downes, a 20-year-old premed student from Ft. Myers, Fla. was swimming with fellow students off Playa Piñuelas in Costa Rica when he was overcome by a riptide on Jan. 4. He was traveling with a small group of Oglethorpe students and faculty on a short-term ecotourism study abroad trip.

Downes' body was recovered days later following a massive search by the Costa Rican Coast Guard, Red Cross, and countless volunteers.

Downes was an active student at Oglethorpe having served as Vice President of the Student Government Association and led the Student Senate. Additionally, he worked as a Resident Assistant and volunteered with Oglethorpe's Center for Civic Engagement.