Alarming new details have emerged regarding the death of an OpenAI whistleblower who was found dead in his home.
The parents of 26-year-old former OpenAI employee Suchir Balaji are disputing official findings that their son’s death was a suicide.
After conducting their own investigations and a private autopsy with an independent medical examiner, the parents allege that Balaji was killed by two gunshots to the head.
Balaji’s parents, Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy, argue that a second gunshot wound to his head was missed in the initial autopsy.
The young tech worker was found dead in his apartment in the Mint Hill neighborhood of San Francisco on November 26.
Authorities initially reported that he had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
His death came just weeks after he reportedly provided information to The New York Times.
Balaji, who worked as a developer on the company’s ChatGPT artificial intelligence (AI) software, alleged that OpenAI was engaging in copyright violations.
He told the Times that OpenAI was using copyrighted material for the training of its artificial intelligence systems.
Following the official ruling of suicide by the medical examiner, Balaji’s parents raised concerns about the circumstances surrounding their son’s death.
They insist that he was happy and making plans for the future, but not suicidal.
The family immediately hired a private investigator and commissioned an independent autopsy, along with toxicology and additional forensic tests.
Update on @suchirbalaji
We hired private investigator and did second autopsy to throw light on cause of death. Private autopsy doesn’t confirm cause of death stated by police.
Suchir’s apartment was ransacked , sign of struggle in the bathroom and looks like some one hit him…
— Poornima Rao (@RaoPoornima) December 29, 2024
During a press conference in December, Balaji’s father said:
“He was happy, not depressed or anything.
“It was his birthday week.
“He made plans to see us in January.”
“How can anyone believe that there was no suicide note left?” he added.
“We have seen the blood shots in the bathroom, signs of a fight.”
OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji didn’t kill himself. pic.twitter.com/zEJX9bhGJk
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) December 29, 2024
The couple now claims that the independent medical evaluation revealed evidence of a second bullet wound to their son’s head.
According to the Daily Mail, the family shared that CT scans were reviewed by two radiologists who were not informed of the case details in advance.
Both radiologists independently concluded that there appeared to be two gunshot wounds, neither of which was immediately fatal.
The family has not yet publicly released the full set of forensic reports.
However, the parents say the findings support their belief that Balaji was murdered.
They allege the motive was tied to his whistleblower disclosures regarding OpenAI’s internal practices.
Balaji’s concerns centered around the way data was allegedly scraped or utilized to train AI models, according to individuals familiar with the matter.
His body was discovered next to the bathroom door.
There was significant blood evidence found throughout parts of the apartment.
The initial investigation by San Francisco authorities did not indicate foul play at the time.
The claim of a second gunshot wound raises new questions about the thoroughness of the initial autopsy.
As of now, no criminal investigation has been announced by local authorities.
The case remains officially classified as a suicide.
Balaji’s parents say they will continue to press for answers.
They are urging officials to conduct a formal inquiry into the circumstances surrounding their son’s death.
