The mysterious death of John Barnett, a corporate whistleblower, has sparked a wave of conspiracy theories across the internet. Barnett, a former quality control engineer at Boeing, was in the midst of a legal battle against the aviation giant over serious safety violations when he was found dead in a parking lot.
Barnett’s body was discovered on March 9th in his truck, parked at a motel in Charleston, South Carolina, where he had been staying during court proceedings. His absence from a scheduled deposition led to the discovery of his body.
The Charleston coroner’s office released its final assessment of Barnett’s death, revealing that he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. This led to the presumption that Barnett had died by suicide. However, the circumstances surrounding his death, particularly the ongoing litigation against Boeing, fueled conspiracy theories suggesting foul play.
Surveillance footage from the motel showed that no one other than Barnett was seen near his vehicle from the evening of March 8th through the morning of March 9th. The vehicle’s brake lights were captured blinking on and off at 0720 hours on March 9th, indicating that Barnett was the only one in the vehicle.
Inside the truck, investigators found a notebook containing writings that resembled a suicide note. The Charleston Police Department examined the writings and found only Barnett’s fingerprints on the notebook.
Despite the coroner’s report, Barnett’s family suspects that workplace hostility at Boeing contributed to his mental health issues, which may have led to his death.
Read more: gizmodo.com