Suchir Balaji's Mother New Charge As Sam Altman Calls OpenAI Whistleblower's Death "Suicide"
OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji's parents have once again questioned the official suicide ruling, adding that he may have been murdered.
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Suchir Balaji was discovered deceased in San Francisco during November 2024.
The parents of OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji have challenged the official suicide ruling, suggesting he may have been murdered. Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy presented findings from a private autopsy and independent investigation that they claim contradict the authorities' suicide determination.
The 26-year-old Indian-origin researcher was found dead in San Francisco in November 2024. He had resigned from OpenAI in August of that year after alleging the company violated US copyright laws. Officials initially concluded his death was from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, with toxicology reports showing presence of alcohol, amphetamines, and GHB in his system.
In a Monday interview with Diya TV, his mother Poornima Ramarao questioned the official conclusion, arguing that the trajectory of the fatal gunshot wound made suicide physically "impossible."
"The trajectory goes from the middle and points straight to the brainstem. He couldn't have reached that level with such high intoxication," she stated. "He can't reach himself at that level with so much intoxication and an inability to hold a gun itself."
According to the private autopsy, lacerations on his gums, burn marks on his tongue, and a mouth hole were discovered, potentially indicating gagging or torture. "He was gagged or tortured with a heavy object. How could they miss all these things? They're accountable," she questioned.
Regarding Suchir Balaji's behavior before his death, Ms Ramarao noted, "The previous day he celebrated his 26th birthday. He just had one day to live after 26. He doesn't look tired. He doesn't look depressed."
"We've heard that this is a suicide... If someone really wants to take their life, why would they eat their dinner? Why would they do their laundry? Why would they unpack their clothes?"
The private autopsy's toxicology report revealed concerning details. Suchir Balaji had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.178 percent, equivalent to seven or eight drinks.
"He was not a heavy drinker," his mother insisted. The report also showed high GHB levels, a substance commonly associated with incapacitation. His mother theorized that alcohol and GHB might have been used to subdue her son. "They first gave him alcohol to loosen him up, then GHB to make him talk," she suggested.
The parents also highlighted surveillance footage inconsistencies, claiming one of the two elevator cameras in the apartment building was deliberately disconnected a week before Suchir Balaji's death.
"We see the days when he came home, the security guard is taking the video of the route from that elevator, in which there was no camera, to another room where they could hide or something like that. And that's the elevator that takes them down to the entrance where there is no CCTV," she explained.
According to the parents, the crime scene contained additional blood spatters—one from the mouth and another from a head injury—that weren't included in the medical examiner's report. His mother mentioned that residents in the 200-unit complex reported hearing no gunshot.
"His gun was found there on the crime scene, his personal gun...His gun did not have a silencer," she added.
In a recent interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman maintained that Suchir Balaji died by suicide.