The family of a long-time Los Alamos National Laboratory employee found dead in 2020 with a handgun nearby is pushing back hard against the official ruling of suicide, raising pointed questions about the investigation and the circumstances surrounding his death.
John Osborne Thorp III, 63, was discovered dead in his home in White Rock, New Mexico, on November 15, 2020. The Los Alamos County Police Department ruled his death a suicide. His family says the evidence tells a different story, and they have spent years pressing for answers from local and federal authorities.
Thorp spent roughly three decades working at Los Alamos National Laboratory, one of the nation's premier nuclear weapons research facilities. Fox News reported that Thorp held a Q clearance, the Department of Energy's highest level of security clearance, granting access to Top Secret Restricted Data related to nuclear weapons design and other sensitive national security information.
His family described him as a dedicated professional who loved his work and showed no signs of being suicidal. They told Fox News that Thorp was in good spirits in the days before his death and had been making plans for the future, including upcoming holiday gatherings.
Thorp was found dead from a single gunshot wound. A handgun was recovered near his body. The Los Alamos County Police Department investigated and classified the death as a suicide.
But the family has identified what they describe as serious inconsistencies. Among their concerns: Thorp was left-handed, yet the gunshot wound and positioning of the weapon suggested a right-handed shooter. The family also raised questions about the condition of the scene and whether it had been properly preserved and processed by investigators.
Thorp's sister, Martha Thorp DeMarre, has been vocal in challenging the official finding. She told Fox News that the family hired independent experts to review the case, and those experts flagged problems with the suicide determination.
"Everything about it screams that it was not a suicide."
DeMarre has pushed for a deeper investigation, contacting the FBI, the Department of Energy's Office of Inspector General, and members of Congress. She told Fox News the family believes Thorp's death may be connected to his work at the lab, though she acknowledged they do not have direct proof of that link.
The family's frustration extends beyond the initial ruling. They say the Los Alamos County Police Department conducted a limited investigation that failed to pursue basic leads. The department, which serves a small community of roughly 13,000 people, does not regularly handle complex death investigations of this nature.
The family told Fox News that the department did not interview key witnesses, did not adequately process forensic evidence, and moved quickly to close the case. They also raised concerns about whether the department had the resources or expertise to properly investigate a death involving a worker with access to some of the nation's most sensitive secrets.
Los Alamos County Police did not provide Fox News with detailed comment on the family's specific allegations about investigative shortcomings. The department has maintained that its investigation supported the suicide finding.
The FBI confirmed to Fox News that it had received information about the case but did not elaborate on whether it had opened its own investigation or taken any action. The Department of Energy's Office of Inspector General did not provide comment.
The family's concerns carry weight beyond a single death investigation. Los Alamos National Laboratory sits at the heart of the American nuclear weapons complex. Workers with Q clearances handle information that foreign adversaries actively target through espionage.
The unexplained or suspicious death of a cleared worker at such a facility would typically draw federal attention. DeMarre told Fox News she finds it troubling that federal agencies have not been more forthcoming about whether they examined the national security implications of her brother's death.
"If someone with a Q clearance dies under suspicious circumstances, you would think the federal government would want to know exactly what happened."
Investigators have not publicly confirmed whether Thorp's work assignments, access to classified programs, or any workplace disputes played any role in the circumstances surrounding his death. The lab itself has offered little public comment. Los Alamos National Laboratory told Fox News it could not discuss individual employee matters.
Among the most concrete challenges the family raises is the handedness issue. Thorp was left-handed. The family and their independent experts have questioned whether the wound trajectory and the placement of the firearm are consistent with a self-inflicted wound by a left-handed person.
This type of forensic question is well-established in death investigations. Handedness, wound angle, and weapon positioning are standard elements that medical examiners and forensic pathologists evaluate when distinguishing between suicide and homicide. The family contends these factors were not given adequate weight in the original investigation.
The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, which handles death investigations statewide, ruled the manner of death as suicide. The family has questioned that determination as well, arguing it relied too heavily on the police department's initial scene assessment.
DeMarre told Fox News she has spent years compiling records, consulting experts, and reaching out to anyone who might help reopen the case. She described a pattern of institutional resistance, with agencies either declining to engage or offering vague responses that fail to address the family's specific concerns.
The family has contacted multiple members of Congress. They have also explored legal options for compelling further investigation, though the path forward remains uncertain. No lawsuit has been publicly filed in connection with Thorp's death.
DeMarre said the family is not pursuing conspiracy theories. They want a thorough, competent investigation that addresses the forensic evidence on its merits.
"We're not asking anyone to take our word for it. We're asking them to look at the evidence."
The case remains classified as a suicide by local authorities. No agency has publicly announced plans to reopen or further investigate Thorp's death.
Authorities have not publicly addressed several critical questions. Investigators have not said whether they examined Thorp's work computer, phone records, or communications in the days before his death. They have not confirmed whether any coworkers or associates were interviewed as part of the original investigation. No public results have been released about any forensic re-examination of the wound trajectory or weapon positioning.
The family also wants to know whether Thorp reported any threats, workplace conflicts, or unusual contacts before his death. Those questions remain unanswered in any public record.
For now, the Thorp family is left pressing their case through whatever channels remain open, hoping that persistence will eventually force the kind of scrutiny they believe their brother's death deserved from the start.
When a worker with access to the nation's nuclear secrets dies under disputed circumstances and the investigation amounts to a quick local ruling, the question is not whether the family deserves answers. The question is why the institutions responsible for national security have not demanded them.
