The parents of OpenAI whistleblower found dead in his San Francisco apartment, claim new forensic evidence—including signs of a second gunshot—proves he was murdered and did not die by suicide as authorities concluded.
Suchir Balaji, 26, was a former machine learning expert at OpenAI who went public in October 2023 with serious allegations about the company's use of copyrighted data to train its ChatGPT model, according to the Daily Mail.
Just weeks later, on November 26, Balaji was discovered dead with a gunshot wound to the head. The San Francisco Medical Examiner ruled the death a suicide, citing high levels of alcohol and the date rape drug GHB in his system, alongside a downward-angled gunshot wound from a Glock he legally purchased in January.
Balaji's parents, Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy, have rejected the suicide ruling, citing numerous inconsistencies. A second autopsy and radiology scans, conducted independently, allegedly revealed a second bullet lodged at the base of his skull—missed in the original report—and significant injuries such as a broken cheekbone, tongue laceration, and blunt force trauma.
They argue these injuries, along with the presence of GHB and signs of a struggle, suggest he was assaulted and killed in a staged suicide. The family also disputes the official timeline, pointing to Balaji's upbeat demeanor in surveillance footage shortly before his death, recent job offers worth up to $2 million, and plans to speak at academic events.
Despite the official case closure, Balaji's family has filed a lawsuit against the city of San Francisco, demanding the full police incident report and investigation records. They've hired private legal and forensic teams, raised over $85,000, and vowed to continue their independent investigation.
They also plan to request bodycam and additional footage, accusing authorities of prematurely dismissing key evidence and failing to interview neighbors or secure building surveillance footage.
As Balaji's parents prepare to release further findings, they maintain that their son was targeted and killed over what he knew.
