Since the start of the year, airplane manufacturing giant Boeing (BA) has been the subject of major scrutiny over its safety and production standards.
At the start of this week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) began a criminal investigation into the January 2024 incident in which the door plug and part of the window panel blew out in the air seven minutes into an Alaska Airlines (ALK) flight.
Related: Boeing shuffles 737 Max management as Alaska Airlines incident continues to weigh on stock
A few days before the beginning of the DOJ inquiry, former Boeing quality engineer John Barnett was in the middle of giving depositions in a legal dispute with his former employer — that arose after he started voicing safety concerns — when he was found dead in his car in Charleston, S.C. on March 9.
Here is what we know of the death of former Boeing employee John Barnett
According to a statement from the Charleston County Coroner, 62-year-old Barnett was found dead from "what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound."
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In a statement to CNN, the lawyers representing Barnett said that he was "in the midst of a deposition in his whistleblower retaliation case, which finally was nearing the end."
"He was in very good spirits and really looking forward to putting this phase of his life behind him and moving on," the statement reads. "We didn't see any indication he would take his own life. [...] The Charleston police need to investigate this fully and accurately and tell the public what they find out. No detail can be left unturned."
Barnett's family also said that he was "looking forward to having his day in court and hoped that it would force Boeing to change its culture."
'Our priority to ensure that the investigation is not influenced by speculation...'
The BBC had also reported that Barnett was scheduled to arrive for the last in a series of questioning series when he didn't show up to court. After trying multiple times to reach him by phone, Barnett's lawyers asked staff at his hotel to check on him at which point he was found dead in his car in the hotel parking lot.
After news of Barnett's death broke, Boeing issued a statement saying that the company was "saddened by Mr. Barnett's passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends."
Charleston police, in turn, announced that an active investigation is ongoing as they also wait for the cause of death to be formally confirmed.
"Detectives are actively investigating this case and are awaiting the formal cause of death, along with any additional findings that might shed further light on the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Barnett," Sergeant Anthony Gibson told local news outlet WCBD. "We understand the global attention this case has garnered, and it is our priority to ensure that the investigation is not influenced by speculation but is led by facts and evidence."
Boeing had retired from Boeing in 2017 after 32 years with the company and had previously alleged that Boeing had disparaged his character and interfered with his career after he had raised safety issues with the 787 Dreamliner planes he had come across through his work.
