I live in Columbia, where one microbiologist was found stabbed to death in the trunk of his own car, which was on fire.
Author airs conspiracy theory on Ims death
By MIKE WELLS of the Tribunes staff
Published Sunday, January 23, 2005
The death of retired research Professor
Jeong Im has all the makings of a spy novel,
and some say that idea isnt far off base.
Someone stabbed the 72-year-old scientist
multiple times in the Maryland Avenue
parking garage at the University of Missouri-
Columbia, put him in the trunk of his Honda
and set the car on fire. Adding to the mystery,
police say a hooded, masked man was
seen carrying a gas can away from the
scene.
University police on Friday announced a
$10,000 reward for information leading to an
arrest in the Jan. 7 killing. Police have
received more than 185 leads, including
some that appear far-fetched.
A few days after firefighters found Ims body,
a national radio talk-show guest theorized
the killing was part of a plot to kill off key
microbiologists in the world before
unleashing "the ultimate epidemic."
Steve Quayle, a self-published author and
newsletter writer from Bozeman, Mont., told
listeners of "Coast to Coast AM" that Im was
the 40th microbiologist to die under
suspicious circumstances in four years and
was perhaps among those specializing in
vaccines and bio-weapons research.
MU officials have described Im as a protein
chemist whose specialty was synthesizing
peptides.
The Korean immigrant came to MU in 1987
from the University of North Carolina-Chapel
Hill. After retiring four or five years ago, he
returned to MU, working about 10 hours a
week on lab work for other professors in the
departments of microbiology and
immunology and pharmacology.
There is nothing in Ims published history to
suggest hed worked in bio-weapons
research. Quayle said thats not proof the
scientist wasnt a target.
While acknowledging he doesnt know
whether Ims death was part of a plot, Quayle
said the circumstances concerned him. "Im
no conspiracy nut," he said. "What youre
seeing is some of the most famous men in
the world, at least in their fields, are dying
mysteriously."
The deaths include stabbings, drownings,
plane crashes and hit-and-run crashes.
Some were ruled suicides. "Theres only
been several whove died of natural
causes," Quayle said.
The Mid-Missouri Major Case Squad
investigated Ims death, disbanding after 11
days. The case returned to MU police, who
have seven officers and detectives working
on it, Capt. Brian Weimer said.
Some radio listeners have contacted police,
and Weimer said their suggestions were not
ignored. Police called the producers of the
show to find out what was broadcast.
"It goes in like a lead like everything else,"
Weimer said. "Weve not ruled out absolutely
anything. Were looking at any answer to try
to solve this."
Quayle said he has followed bio-weapons
issues for 30 years but said he started
chronicling the deaths of microbiologists on
www.stevequayle.com after a missile in
October 2001 downed a passenger jet
carrying five Israeli scientists over the Black
Sea. Over the next several months, 11
microbiologists around the world died in
various circumstances.
After last weeks "Coast to Coast" show, the
Tribune received numerous e-mails and
phone calls from people around the country
who accept Quayles idea. "The pattern thats
emerging would be disturbing to any
statistician," said Bill Stockglausner of
Columbia. "The list is factual, and it appears
strange that this is happening to these
people who were in a certain profession."
Stockglausner likes Quayles
reasoning. "Hes one of the few people of
whom I can say I trust his comments," he
said. "Am I convinced? No, not totally. But the
percentage of being convinced gets closer
each time one of these guys ends up dead."
MU history Professor Jeff Passley, who
teaches a course about conspiracy theories
and conspiracies, said mysteries invite
speculation. "Its always more interesting to
think of something weird than the more
obvious," he said, because there are loose
standards for what is apparently
unexplainable. "Its do-it-yourself
investigative work. Its investigative science
done by some guy in his basement who
doesnt have any training."
Passley designed his course to show
students how conspiracy theories shift and
evolve with the values of the times. For
example, he said, some people in the
communist-fearing 1950s thought
extraterrestrial beings wanted to enslave the
planet. In the 60s, people started viewing
aliens as peace-loving "space brothers." And
in the 70s, aliens were suspected of
performing sexual experiments to breed with
humans.
"Its true that almost every sort of religion or
belief system purports to explain the
unexplainable and to give you a sense of
control," Passley said. "These conspiracy
theories are just a version of that. They try to
impose rationality upon the unexplainable."
― Trip Maker (Sean Witzman), Tuesday, 1 February 2005 20:02 (twenty years ago)
seven months pass...