TULSA, Okla. -- Friends of John Chau said as his story gains notoriety on social media, they remember him for the man he was: an Oral Roberts University alumni who brought positivity wherever he went.
"We all have that one friend or those few friends that you look up to because of how well they love others regardless of who they are, where they come from or what they can do for them. They just love," former classmate Yvann Karamoko said.
Related Story: Report: ORU grad killed by remote Indian tribe
The 27-year-old reportedly was visiting the Andaman and Nicobar Islands off the coast of India earlier this month. Police on the island said after the first visit he came back with arrow injuries, and after going back waiting fisherman watched from a distance as tribespeople dragged his body.
"His cheerfullness, his joy. We'll never be able to get that back and that's really hard," former classmate John James said.
Chau's friends said even during his time at ORU he always exemplified compassion and wanted to give back to others.
"He is... he was... just the best friend I could have, because of his loyalty and his trust and his honesty," James said.
The classmates tell 2 Works for You Chau has lived as a nomad since college, traveling to do missionary work around the world.
"I haven't come across somebody like that, that's willing to just put his life on the line for Christ. That's really what his goal was," James said.
Police have not confirmed Chau's death. Officer said they're currently in the process of recovering the body.
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