Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI researcher who spoke out against the company, was found dead in his San Francisco apartment. His mother believes there is more to the story.
Warning: This article discusses suicide, which may be distressing for some readers.
The mother of OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji, who was found dead in his San Francisco apartment last year, has shared new CCTV footage that she believes challenges the official cause of death.
Balaji, just 26 years old, was discovered by police on November 26 after they conducted a welfare check. His sudden passing came just a month after he had publicly criticized OpenAI.
Balaji had spent four years working as a researcher at OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. He was a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in computer science.
After leaving the company, he became a whistleblower, alleging that OpenAI had engaged in questionable practices, including violations of US copyright law in training its artificial intelligence models. His revelations were published in a high-profile New York Times article.
The last CCTV image of Suchir Twitter/@RaoPoornima
Just a month later, Balaji was found dead in his apartment. Authorities ruled it a suicide, citing no signs of foul play.
However, his family has rejected this conclusion, with his mother, Poornima Ramarao, insisting that there is more to his death than what has been reported. She suspects a larger conspiracy.
Now, she has released security footage showing Balaji hours before his death, hoping to raise new questions about the investigation.
Another pic of Suchir coming back home after back packing trip, same day he was killed.
— Poornima Rao (@RaoPoornima) March 14, 2025
Does he look stressed ? pic.twitter.com/iNJ07OhBEf
In the video, Balaji is seen entering his apartment building at 7:30 p.m. carrying takeout food. His mother argues that the footage contradicts the idea that he was suicidal.
Despite having access to this footage, the medical examiner's office still ruled his death a suicide, something Ramarao strongly disputes.
She has also voiced concerns over the toxicology report and possible inconsistencies in the building's security camera footage.
She stated: "Another cover by OCME (Office of the Chief Medical Examiner): they stated to our attorney that GHB is endogenous 3 days after death. But we found out that level of endogenous GHB is less than 5000ng/L."
She further explained: "A line in autopsy report says that toxicology report will include GHB only if it is more than 50000 Ng/L. Combined with alcohol this is a sedative. With this combination he will be losing muscle control or possibly unconscious."
Parents, Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy, have said they want another investigation ABC 7 News
"We are waiting for toxicologist to give a written report."
Additionally, she pointed out that some of the surveillance cameras in Balaji’s apartment building were mysteriously disabled.
In another post, she alleged: "One more suspensions finding CCTV in garage of Suchir's apartment and neighbors stopped working. One of the elevator CCTV also stopped working. This m*rder conspiracy is executed over long term planning and watching Suchir."
Another image shared by Ramarao shows Balaji returning home with a large bag. She claims this was taken on the same day he was reportedly "killed."
She questioned: "Does he look stressed?"
Balaji’s parents have since commissioned an independent autopsy, convinced that their son’s death was not a suicide.
His mother has repeatedly stated that he was "happy" and showed no signs of depression.
She previously told ABC 7 News: "He went into his apartment and never came out. How can anyone believe that there was no suicide note left?"
She also added: "And there was nobody else on the scene, that doesn't mean they can just come to conclusion. And we have seen the blood shots in the bathroom, signs of fight in the bathroom."
In addition to her doubts about the official findings, Ramarao claims her son had confided in her that he believed "AI is a harm to humanity."
