He Was About To Uncover A Government Conspiracy, And Then He Was Found Dead In The Bathtub Of His Hotel Room

In 1991, an American freelance journalist named Danny Casolaro was about to uncover a government conspiracy. However, he died before he could figure out the truth. Those closest to him believe that he had gotten too close and was killed.

The conspiracy was known as "The Octopus," and it involved the INSLAW case. INSLAW was a small software company based in St. Louis that was developing a groundbreaking computer program.

They accused the U.S. Justice Department of stealing the program and using it to spy on both U.S. citizens and foreign governments.

The owners of INSLAW spent most of the 1980s fighting in court, and the company was driven to bankruptcy. When Danny started looking into the case, he believed that he had stumbled upon something much bigger.

After months of investigating, he suspected that scandals like the Iran-Contra affair, the October Surprise theory, the fraudulent Bank of Credit and Commerce International, INSLAW, and more were all connected and concocted by an undercover global network that he called "The Octopus."

Danny told several friends and family members that he was on the brink of finding answers in July 1991. The following month, he traveled to West Virginia to meet up with a major source.

But around noon on August 10, 1991, Danny was found dead in a bathtub in his room at the Sheraton Hotel in Martinsburg, West Virginia. His wrists had been slashed 10 to 12 times.

He left a note behind, and there were no signs of forced entry or a struggle.

Ultimately, the medical examiner and local authorities declared his death a suicide. But Danny's family was adamant that he had been murdered. They found it hard to believe that Danny took his own life in this way because he was always squeamish around blood.

Sue Tansirimas - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only

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In addition, before he went to West Virginia, Danny had told his brother not to believe it if he died in an accident. He had also been receiving threatening phone calls at his home.

The last time Danny was seen alive was a day before his death. He was eating at a Pizza Hut in Martinsburg, where he complimented a waitress on her eyes and quoted The Great Gatsby to her.

At around 2:30 p.m., he met up with an engineer named Henry Turner at the Sheraton Hotel. Turner reportedly handed some documents to Danny, and they exchanged a few words before parting ways.

Afterward, witnesses recalled seeing Danny looking down and depressed at a restaurant, where he spent a few hours. There were also reports of him at the cocktail lounge in his hotel at around 5 p.m. He was with a man described as Iranian.

Then, he met up with Mike Looney at 5:30 p.m., who was staying in the next room. They spoke again at 8 p.m. Danny was apparently waiting to meet with a contact around 9 p.m. Danny and Mike parted ways at 9:30 p.m.

Danny was spotted buying coffee at a convenience store at 10 p.m.

Many of the FBI agents who investigated his death have questioned the conclusion of suicide. However, they were pressured to stop looking further into the case.