A final autopsy report released Friday afternoon has concluded that Suchir Balaji, the 26-year-old OpenAI whistleblower who accused the company of violating federal copyright laws, died by suicide inside his San Francisco apartment.
San Francisco County Medical Examiner confirmed Balaji passed away on November 26, 2024, from a single self-inflicted gunshot wound.
San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott, in an accompanying letter to the attorneys representing Balaji’s parents, stated that the medical examiner’s findings, along with the police department’s investigation, led him to conclude that “there is insufficient evidence to find Mr. Balaji’s death was the result of homicide.”
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“We realize that this information is difficult to receive, and we extend our sincere condolences to the Balaji family,” Scott and David Serrano Sewell, the executive director of the medical examiner’s office, wrote. “We hope that this response may help bring some amount of closure to his grieving parents, friends and family.”
The report contradicts concerns raised by Balaji’s family in recent months
Balaji’s parents, Poornima Ramarao and Bajami Ramamurthy, have stated that they are reviewing the report’s findings. Poornima earlier claimed in the Tucker Carlson show that the FBI “just ignored everything that showed murder and picked up everything that showed suicide.”
{{/usCountry}}Balaji’s parents, Poornima Ramarao and Bajami Ramamurthy, have stated that they are reviewing the report’s findings. Poornima earlier claimed in the Tucker Carlson show that the FBI “just ignored everything that showed murder and picked up everything that showed suicide.”
{{/usCountry}}“My son had documents against OpenAI. They attacked him and killed him,” she said, and added, “some documents were missing” after his death.
The autopsy confirmed that Balaji had died using a pistol registered in his name. Gunshot residue was found on both his hands, and a ballistic test confirmed the gun matched the bullet fired. The report noted that the bullet trajectory was front-to-back and downward.
The police chief also stated that Balaji’s apartment door was locked with a deadbolt when his body was discovered, and there were no signs of forced entry on the door or windows. Security footage and key fob data suggested no one else had entered his apartment.
Toxicology results showed that Balaji had ethanol and amphetamine in his system at the time of his death.