WASHINGTON, D.C. June 14 (DPI) – North Korea yesterday released 23-year-old Otto Warmbier after 16 months of captivity, but the young man’s near-death condition and the circumstances that led to it are already spurring new questions and tensions.

Readers across the internet – who last year were expressing amazement at the college student’s bad judgement – largely put aside any criticism of the young American, who was arrested on Jan. 2 2016 for allegedly trying to steal a political poster from a hotel.

Instead, readers shared grief and sadness about the condition of Warmbier, who reportedly has been in a coma for more than 15 months. He was returned yesterday to Cincinnati, near his hometown.

It’s not clear what occurred to trigger Warmbier’s comatose state, and doctors aren’t optimistic of a recovery.

Warmbier’s parents told the BBC their son was “brutalized and terrorized by the pariah regime” of North Korea.

More than 1,700 comments were posted on WashingtonPost.com since the report was posted yesterday. The “most liked” comment:

My condolences to his family. This seems like a terrible outcome. I wish them peace.