Social media users went wild this week after another Boeing whistleblower died under sudden circumstances, RadarOnline.com can report.
In a shocking development to come less than two months after Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead from what was reported as a self-inflicted gunshot wound in March, another Boeing whistleblower – Joshua Dean – passed away from a sudden illness.
Dean’s family announced the 45-year-old whistleblower’s passing in a statement published to social media on Thursday morning.
“I am grateful for the prayers of my family and friends for this young man,” Dean’s aunt, Carol Parsons, wrote on Facebook.
“He passed away yesterday morning, and his absence will be deeply felt,” she added. “We will always love you Josh.”
Dean’s mother also revealed that her son was “conscious and communicating with doctors” as recently as Monday. His condition reportedly deteriorated shortly after.
“At the time, a doctor told him that he had a 50/50 chance of living,” the Boeing whistleblower’s mother wrote in a Facebook post before his passing. “Josh is very depressed, frightened, and doing a lot of sleeping and not responding as much as he was a few days ago and has not been on any sedation or pain meds.”
“The doctor asked him if he wanted the machine turned off, and he wouldn't respond,” Dean’s mother continued. “I told the doctor he doesn't know what he wants, I'm sure he wants to live.”
According to Daily Mail, Dean was fired from his position as a quality auditor at Spirit AeroSystems in April 2023.
Dean allegedly questioned the standards at a plant in Wichita, Kansas in October 2022 and was fired six months later.
“I think they were sending out a message to anybody else,” Dean told NPR during an interview held a few months before his death at 45 this week. “If you are too loud, we will silence you.”
“It is known at Spirit that if you make too much noise and cause too much trouble, you will be moved,” he told the Wall Street Journal during another interview held in January 2023.
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“It doesn't mean you completely disregard stuff,” he continued, “but they don't want you to find everything and write it up.”
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Dean’s sudden death this week came less than two months after another Boeing whistleblower named John Barnett died suddenly from a suspected suicide.
Like Dean, Barnett filed a complaint regarding Boeing’s defect reporting practices. Barnett also filed a lawsuit against Boeing before his suspected suicide. He alleged that the aviation giant had allowed “sub-standard” parts to be fitted onto a series of Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Meanwhile, the death of two Boeing whistleblowers in less than two months raised new questions and speculation among users on social media who found Dean and Barnett’s deaths “very concerning.”
“This is crazy,” one X user tweeted after Dean’s death was announced on Thursday.
“Conspiracy, I think not,” another person responded to the news of Dean’s passing. “They seem to have major issues at Boeing…”
“Whistleblower’s beware,” a third user tweeted, “when exposing a multibillion-dollar corporation like Boeing you’re literally risking your life.”
It should be noted that no foul play was suspected in Dean and Barnett’s recent deaths. Dean reportedly suffered from MRSA, influenza B, and a stroke before his death while Barnett passed away from what investigators believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.