The Deaths of Five Microbiologists: Murder, Suicide, Accident

Devvy Kidd ^ | December 31, 2001 | Devvy Kidd

[uvular]

E-mailed Memphis and Boston papers this weekend for information on the outcome of Dr. Wiley's autopsy to determine cause of death.

Both replied there has been no announcement yet, however, both papers had reported 12-23 that per coroner, autopsy was expected to be done by 12-28. The findings would be first given to the family, then they would have a press conference to release information to public.

[yikes]

Why? Because the author didn't bother to examine the number of violent deaths or accidents for doctors and biologists in 2000, or 1999, or 1998.

That would be like comparing apples and oranges.

What is salient here are the deaths of 5 scientists (who are linked by the nature of their narrow technical expertise) within the brief span of roughly a month after horrific attacks on the U.S. Not to mention the almost simultaneous and deliberate outbreak of anthrax.

These deaths are worth a look by someone with more intellectual depth than you. They stretch statistical credulity.

Don't fling your conspiracy theory b*****it at me!!

[classygreeneyedblonde]

Would cloning have anything to do with these guys or anthrax??

[Askel5]

I trust folks also will keep in mind the tragic loss of Dr. Jonathan Mann and his wife, Dr. Mary Lou Clements-Mann in the Swissair crash. Both were preeminent AIDS researchers.

[JD86]

Thank you for the post. Personally, I read it all. If there is a conspiracy here......I believe the answer is included in the article.

There's no money in the cure, only the treatment.

[jackliberty]

Good work. I read 99%, skipped some of the medical jargon, otherwise very interesting and unfortnately plausible. Keep us informed.

[goody2shooz]

Bingo. Classic pre-emptive strike against human defensive resources.

My guess would be Iraq or Iran and some former East German operatives.

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

With my < tin foil hat rightiously on >

You have valid thoughts.

[Scully]

...or a blueprint for a contrived and unbelievable episode of "The X Files".

I don't know how you feel about this Mulder, but I think we've just been dissed! :)

[Mitchell]

I thought Dec. 28 was when the autopsy was going to be begun, but that it was expected to take some time. As I recall, results were to be announced 2 weeks later, which would be Fri., Jan. 11.

[T'wit]

> this grizzly murder

Somebody rubbed out a bear??

:-)

[This is a light-hearted comment about the spelling, not about the stories covered here]

[isom35]

I'l bet it turns out they all went to grade school together, and there's a fellow student who wanted to be a microbiologist, but washed out in college. so now he/she is killing all the classmates that went on to become microbiologists out of jealousy. that's how it usually plays out on tv.

[Mulder]

I don't know how you feel about this Mulder, but I think we've just been dissed! :)

Thanks for the ping....

I think the cigarette-smoking man may be behind this :)

[uvular]

Everything I have read (in particular, 12-23 article from gomemphis.com) said autopsy for determination of death started 12-23 and was hopefully to be completed by the end of the week; do you remember where you read that it wasn't to start until 28th? Last article I can find anywhere on this is 12-23...

[uvular]

Everything I have read (in particular, 12-23 article from gomemphis.com) said autopsy for determination of death started 12-23 and was hopefully to be completed by the end of the week; do you remember where you read that it wasn't to start until 28th? Last article I can find anywhere on this is 12-23...

[Right Wing Professor]

Hate to pour cold water on a good conspiracy theory, but Wiley could not even loosely be described as a microbiologist. He was an x-ray crstallographer, a biophysicist, whose specialty was crystal structures.

And, since I know from direct personal knowledge that one of the five is not as he was described, you should understand I'm instantly a wee bit skeptical about the other four

[Rebelbase]

"Nguyen is about as common a Vietnamese name as Smith is here"

Linguistic triva: "Nguyen" is pronouced "win" .

[Mitchell]

I don't remember off the top of my head. I'll look and see if I can find it again. (Newspaper reports often aren't all that accurate on details like that anyway.)

[uvular]

Whatever Wiley was, I'm just curious as to the cause of his death. It just seemed odd the way his car was pointed in the wrong direction, and family and friends said he was in good spirits, etc., before his death.

[Mitchell]

I think it's fair to call Wiley a microbiologist. His research program was the study of the first stages of viral infection (how the virus's proteins start the infection, and how the host body's proteins start to fight back). But, yes, he was also an expert in X-ray crystallography, that being the major technique he used.

I agree with you that this conspiracy theory is unfounded. Of the scientists who have been named in article like this, I think Wiley's death is the only mysterious one. There is no series of mysterious deaths and disappearances of scientists since 9/11. (Also, the Mahoney murder from the Clinton era is completely unrelated; why is that here at all?)

Wiley's case is strange, though, and should be investigated. I'm interested in what the autopsy will say.