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January 29, 2008

U.S. diplomat, son of Globe columnist Bob Ryan, found dead in Pakistan

BOSTON (AP) - Keith Ryan, an American diplomat posted to Pakistan and the son of Boston Globe sports columnist Bob Ryan, has been found dead in his Islamabad residence.

Ryan, 37, apparently took his own life Monday just before a scheduled return to Maryland to visit his wife and 8-year-old triplets, the State Department said.

Pakistani authorities are still investigating the death.

"As anyone who has been confronted with the suicide of a family member can tell you, the only word to describe the sensation is devastated," Bob Ryan, who returned to the Boston area from Arizona where he had been covering the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, said in an obituary posted on the Globe's Web site. "We will always have questions."

Ryan was an attache for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

Ryan previously worked for the Border Patrol and the Immigration and Naturalization Service where he was assigned to the violent gang task force.

"Mr. Ryan was a well-respected, trusted, and longtime member of the U.S. Mission in Pakistan," the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan said in a statement. "His death is a great loss. He will be sorely missed by all who have known and worked with him here in Pakistan."

Bob Ryan remembered his son for his academic determination and conservative political outlook that helped lead him to a career in government service. Keith Ryan was a graduate of Hingham (Mass.) High School, Trinity College in Connecticut, the London School of Economics and Boston College Law School.

In addition to his father, Keith Ryan leaves behind his wife of 12 years, Kate; his children, Conor, John, and Amelia; his mother, Elaine, and sister, Jessica.

Funeral and memorial arrangements are pending.

"I know that we join everyone who knows Bob in expressing our deepest sorrow at his loss," Globe publisher Steven Ainsley said in a statement. "The thoughts and prayers of all Globe employees, past and present, are with him and his family."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:35 AM | Permalink

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