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Fairfield's Maisel Family Holds Memorial Service For Missing Son, Max

FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- The Fairfield family of Max Maisel is embracing their memories of the 21-year-old college student who went missing over a month ago from his college campus in upstate New York, according to the Fairfield Citizen Online.com.

Max Maisel, 21, was last seen in February near his college campus in upstate New York.

Max Maisel, 21, was last seen in February near his college campus in upstate New York.

Photo Credit: File

Max Maisel is now presumed dead, and his family held a memorial service for him Friday at Congregation Bnai Israel in Bridgeport, according to the Connecticut Post.

Maisel, the son of ESPN.com writer Ivan Maisel and Meg Murray, was last seen Feb. 22 leaving his apartment at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he was a junior studying photography.  

He grew up in the Stratfield neighborhood with his two sisters and went to Fairfield Warde High School. He had a love of photography, anime and online gaming. His parents are only now looking at the scope of his photographic work, the Fairfield Citizen said. 

After nearly a month of searching, Maisel's family is coming to terms with the fact that he is probably dead, the Fairfield Citizen said. 

Maisel's car had been found Feb. 23 near the Charlotte Pier on the Genesee River, an area where his family has vacationed in the past. A witness reported seeing a person walking on the pier that night. 

Police and other officials conducted exhaustive searches of the frozen landscape and the frigid waters near there without success. The water search was called off March 18, although police said they will continue to look for Maisel. 

In a statement, the Maisel family thanked Rochester police and other officials for their tireless work.

"More than three weeks in, the searchers share our frustration. The evidence suggests that Max went into the water off the Charlotte Pier. Max is not where the evidence suggests he should be," the statement said in part.

"We want to express our eternal gratitude to the men and women of the law enforcement agencies who contributed untold hours and resources to the search for our son Max Maisel," the family statement said. 

"We appreciate the compassion and professionalism of the men and women with whom we have dealt. ... The RIT community has overcome its own shock and disbelief to rush to our aid. ... We thank all of you," the statement said.

"As we, all of us, wait for some sign of Max, the caring and concern we have felt in Rochester has made us appreciate this community in a way that we couldn’t have imagined. In this, the darkest hour of our lives, we have seen so much good in people. We will never forget your kindness."

Read the full story here at the FairfieldCitizenOnline.com to learn more about the life of Max Maisel. Read the full story here at the Connecticut Post on the memorial service. 

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