Dr Jeff Bradstreet – Murder or Suicide

Body Located in River Identified  So begins the press release regarding the determination that the body was that of  Dr. James Jeffery Bradstreet, a well known alternative medicine practitioner specifically with autism therapies. Many heralded his treatments while others regarded his autism research lacking any scientific rigour or validity. Dr. Bradstreet treated hundreds of autistic patients which included chelation therapy. He has received many tributes and testimonials similar to this comment from our earlier report:

“We knew Dr. Bradstreet quite well and are shocked by his murder. His work with autistic children, our son being one of them, was compassionate, appropriate, and groundbreaking.”

The full press release is below:

On June 19, 2015 at 4:15 PM the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office received a report about a body in the Rocky Broad River in Chimney Rock.
The body was found by a fisherman. After the body was removed from the river, it was determined to be James Jeffery Bradstreet of Braselton Georgia.

Mr. Bradstreet had a gunshot wound to the chest, which appears to be self inflicted.
Divers from the Henderson County Rescue Squad responded to the scene and recovered a handgun from the river.

Mr. Bradstreet’s body was sent to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center for an autopsy on June 23, 2015.
The case is still under investigation by the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office.

Address/Location
Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office
198 N Washington St
Rutherfordton, NC 28139

Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 828-287-6247

LT. LEON GODLOCK
Support Service
leon.godlock@rutherfordcountync.gov
828-287-6395

Funeral arrangements will be held at the Cecil M. Burton funeral home in Shelby, Georgia but at time of publication details remain pending.

Immediately speculations began and people began stating that Dr. Bradstreet had been murdered. The Bradstreet family has said on Facebook that they are “going to get to the bottom of this”  As reported here at Autism Daily Newscast, they have started GoFundMe page to do a thorough investigation to see if there was foul play and get the full story.  At time of publication of this report there have been more than 225 people contributing over $16,800. They have asked that people not speculate at this time, but comments throughout are clearly stating he was murdered. There are no facts to confirm or deny what actually happened at this time. There are just unanswered questions.

Preliminary autopsy reports in the State of Florida are usually available on the next working day. However, due to the nature of Dr. Bradstreet’s death, forensic pathologists must establish the manner of death (e.g., natural, accident, suicide or homicide) and identity of the decedent (if not known), as well as the decedent’s time of death and/or injury. Normally a hospital autopsy report can be produced within 24 hours. A final autopsy report produced by hospital or forensic pathologists takes between 30 and 45 days. This is clearly a much more complex and public case so may be three months before the final report is published. One can only imagine the exponential nature of the rumours that will be spread in this time frame.

• A 2008 study by Miller and David Hemenway, HICRC director and author of the book Private Guns, Public Health, found that rates of firearm suicides in states with the highest rates of gun ownership are 3.7 times higher for men, compared with states with the lowest gun ownership—though the rates of non-firearm suicides are about the same.
• Both Florida and Georgia are considered states that have lenient gun laws (Dr. Bradstreet had practices in both states.)
• Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death; homicide ranks 16th. At 87%, males are the vast majority of gun suicides. By age group, people 65 and older have the highest firearm suicide rate: 10.6 per 100,000 people. (Dr. Bradstreet was 60.)
• According to Writing-World.com – A shot to the side of the head, in the mouth, or to the front of the chest is usually suicide. Wounds located anywhere else are most likely homicide.

One of the other questions being raised is that as a physician, he would be more likely to use drugs if it were a suicide.  A study published in the Oxford Journal with British subjects suggest this might well be the case, Doctors who kill themselves: a study of the methods used for suicide.  While it is true that doctors commit suicide using firearms a little more percentage wise than the general population, the preferred method is the use of poisoning via drugs: almost 55% of the time.

We also know that the FDA visited Dr. Bradstreet at his Bradstreet Wellness Center in Buford, Georgia on Thursday, June16.  Joshua Sharpe reporting in the Gwinnett Daily Post writes:

“The FDA has yet to reveal why agents searched the office of the doctor, reportedly a former pastor who has been controversial for well over a decade. Robert Hiser, an assistant special agent in charge with the federal agency’s criminal investigations division, referred questions to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta, which couldn’t immediately be reached Thursday.

“The Georgia Drugs and Narcotics Agency aided the FDA with the raid, but director Rick Allen said Thursday he wasn’t immediately able to give information on the purpose of the search.”

Earlier today, NBC News reported incorrectly,

“The Gwinnett Daily Post in Georgia reported that U.S. Food and Drug Administration agents searched Bradstreet’s clinic on Monday, citing multiple law enforcement officials. That report could not immediately be verified by NBC News.”

The agents searched Dr. Bradstreet’s office on Thursday, June 16th not on a Monday. Family and friends believe that Dr. Bradstreet died on the Friday and the body was recovered on the Sunday, June 19 – almost one week ago today.

Regardless of the final outcome from the autopsy, the visit from the FDA is a significant piece in the puzzle. It was by their own admission a “raid” involving not only the FDA but Georgia Agency as well.

Patrick J. Skerrett in her HBR article Suicide often not preceded by warnings states that suicide is often an impulsive act.

Did the visit by the FDA trigger something or was their visit more sinister? 

What really went on in that raid? Conspiracy theories aside, from all accounts of those that knew him, Dr. Bradstreet was not an impulsive man.

We have it on reliable source close to Dr. Bradstreet and his family who told us about his skepticism regarding the death being a suicide:

“I know enough about Jeff Bradstreet to know his state of mind.  He was a sound thinker!  He was prudent and calculated.  Acting out on the spur of the moment and deciding to kill himself is like a joke.  He was a jet pilot!…  The one thing all instrument pilots share is a high IQ with the ability to multi task and make sound pragmatic decisions in emergency situations.  In other words, [they] don’t freak out! ‘”

Another comment on our previous article said:

“I spoke to Jeff at 12:30 that Thursday just when the FDA was there. He was calm and told me there was a emergency he would call me back the next day, Friday. He was a genius, a very very smart man who would not have killed himself over this on such short notice.”

Unfortunately, he never made that return phone call the next day.

Additional References: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/05/24/suicides-account-for-most-gun-deaths/
http://www.save.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=705D5DF4-055B-F1EC-3F66462866FCB4E6
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/magazine/guns-suicide-the-hidden-toll/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/feature/wp/2013/03/22/gun-deaths-shaped-by-race-in-america/
http://www.infowars.com/mysterious-death-body-of-doctor-who-linked-vaccines-to-autism-found-floating-in-river/

Editor’s Disclosure: Autism Daily Newscast has reported extensively on the dangers of chelation therapy and we are opposed to its use for autism.