December 30, 2012 - A 26-year-old Indian-origin tech researcher and former OpenAI The case of the strange death of employee Suchir Balaji has caused an uproar, with the mother of the deceased, Poornima Ramarao, questioning the findings of the police and demanding that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) (FBI) Intervention.
Ms. Ramarao said on social media X that she commissioned a private investigator to conduct an investigation and a second autopsy, the results of which were inconsistent with the conclusion of suicide as determined by the police. She wrote: "Suchir's apartment was ransacked and there were signs of struggle in the bathroom and bloodstains suggesting he had been beaten there."
Ms. Ramarao questioned the San Francisco police's characterization of the cold-blooded murder as a suicide and said they would continue to seek justice.Ask the FBI to step in and investigate.
Tech luminary Elon Musk also supported Ms. Ramarao's challenge., he responded on X, "It doesn't look like suicide."
In a previous interview with Business Insider, Ms. Ramarao said her son was doing well financially, owned enough stock to buy a house, and had plans to start a machine-learning nonprofit focused on healthcare. "He was upbeat and cheerful," Ms. Ramarao added, "What happened in just a few hours that cost him his life?"
1AI understands that the tragedy occurred shortly after Balaji's 26th birthday, when Ms. Ramarao was unable to reach him and initially thought he had lost his cell phone or gone hiking. She went to his apartment on Monday, but no one answered the door. Growing concerned, she contacted the San Francisco police, who found his body the next day.
The police informed Ms. Ramarao that the CCTV footage showed that Mr. Balaji was alone in the apartment and ruled out the possibility of homicide. However, the family of the deceased claimed that they had been prevented from entering the apartment or inspecting his belongings, which reinforced their suspicions.
In an effort to get to the truth, the families of the deceased have taken legal action, urging San Francisco authorities to re-investigate the case. They have also launched a petition at the petition site Change.org, as well as a social media campaign, and will be hosting an event on December 27 to honor Balaji's memory and raise public awareness.
"This is not normal," Ms. Ramarao said, adding that Balaji's parents are working with their attorney to urge the San Francisco police to reopen the case and conduct a "proper investigation." Ms. Ramarao emphasized thatThe families are not pointing the finger at OpenAI.
Known for his contributions to OpenAI and his outspoken criticism of the behavior of AI companies, Balaji drew attention after an October interview with The New York Times, when he expressed concerns about potential copyright infringement at leading AI companies, Balaji resigned from OpenAI in August over ethical differences.