Suchir Balaji, a former researcher at OpenAI who openly questioned the legality of its data-gathering practices, died by suicide, authorities said.

Days after Suchir Balaji, the 26-year OpenAI researcher and whistleblower, was found dead, his parents have alleged that their son's death was a 'cold blooded murder'. His parents also visited his San Francisco apartment where he was found dead and claimed they saw pool of blood and signs of struggle.

Suchir Balaji, 26, a former OpenAI employee, was found dead at his San Francisco apartment in November. While authorities said that his death ‘appeared to be a suicide,’ his parents are insisting that there are signs of foul play and have demanded an FBI investigation.

OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji’s mother, Poornima Rao, earlier claimed that Suchir’s apartment was ransacked. She said there was a sign of struggle in the bathroom, and it looked like someone hit him in the bathroom based on blood spots.

The billionaire has openly challenged the cause of death for Suchir Balaji, which was ruled to be a suicide in November.

Suchir Balaji, 26-year-old former OpenAI employee was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on December 14; while initially his death was termed as a suicide, his family and some investigative journalists believe it to be a murder.

In a major twist in the alleged suicide case of OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji, a US investigative journalist has claimed his backup drive related to the AI giant’s testimony has gone missing. George Webb has asserted Balaji’s death was not suicide but a murder.