OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji died by suicide, San Francisco Police have confirmed citing an autopsy report. Following weeks of investigation and repeated inquiries, officials have confirmed their initial findings, concluding that there is no evidence of homicide, as per a Fortune report.
When the 26-year-old Indian-American was found dead under suspicious circumstances last month, it caused a stir among the public, with Mr Balaji’s parents frequently alleging he was murdered.
In a 13-page report from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) and a four-page joint response to the lawsuit, the San Francisco Police and medical examiners announced on Friday that the investigation into Balaji’s death was officially closed.
They confirmed their initial conclusion that he died by suicide.
“The OCME found no evidence or information to establish a cause and manner of death for Mr Balaji other than a suicide by self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head,” read the medical examiner’s report. “SFPD conducted an independent investigation and based on the information SFPD reviewed, there is insufficient evidence to find Mr. Balaji’s death was the result of a homicide.”
However, Mr Balaji’s parents accused the police of lapses in the autopsy and pointed to their failure to acquire CCTV footage from the building where he lived. They added there was no suicide note.
Poornima Rao, Suchir Balaji’s mother, said that SFPD wrote inaccurate information in Autopsy and Police reports. “They have never retrieved CCTV footage from leasing office. We need report from police. We are only requesting transparent investigation,” she wrote on X.
SFPD writes inaccurate information in
Autopsy and Police report . They have never retrieved CCTV footage from leasing office . We need report from police.
We are only requesting transparent investigation.@elonmusk @kash_patel @MarioNawfal— Poornima Rao (@RaoPoornima) February 15, 2025
Suchir Balaji was found dead in his apartment on November 26. After working for four years at OpenAI, he left the company when he found that the company was training its chatbot on copyrighted material stolen from the internet.
Balaji died a day after being listed in a court filing as someone whose files OpenAI planned to check as part of a lawsuit filed by individuals who were questioning the company’s procedures. Several well-known writers have filed the complaint, including best-selling author John Grisham.