‘Unabomber’ Theodore Kaczynski Passes Away At Age 81

The infamous “Unabomber,” originally named Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski, has passed away at a federal prison medical center where he is being held. The news came after Kaczynski, 81, was found unresponsive in his cell on June 10, at the medical facility in Butner, North Carolina. 

Kaczynski’s reign of terror spanned 17 years, during which he carried out a series of bombings that claimed the lives of three Americans and left 23 others injured.

Ted Kaczynski, known as the Unabomber, was found dead in a federal prison medical center Saturday morning, and an official called emergency services with reports of “a guy that was hanging.” https://t.co/mf3xCqtkjO

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) June 13, 2023

These bombings became increasingly sophisticated as time went on, earning him the labels, “twisted genius” and the “ultimate lone wolf bomber.” 

His nickname “Unabomber,” derived from the combination of “university” and “airline bombing, arose from his first known attack in 1978 which occurred at a university in Chicago.

According to the FBI, Kaczynski had a deep dark desire to be the perfect anonymous killer. Using various means, such as mailing or personally delivering homemade bombs, he even went as far as threatening to blow up airliners. 

After his arrest and guilty plea in 1998, Kaczynski spent the remainder of his days confined within the confines of a Supermax prison in Colorado or in a medical facility in North Carolina, where he was reportedly transferred to in December 2021.

However, getting to him was not an easy feat as his case is considered one of the FBI’s longest investigations to date. A mathematical genius and Harvard alumni with an IQ of 167, Kaczynski was so elusive that authorities had to dedicate more than 150 dedicated individuals, including investigators and analysts, to work on his arrest. 

Per NBC News, the only clue authorities had to his identity was a sketch made with the help of a witness who saw him during one of his sinister operations.

It wasn’t until 1995 that authorities made a significant breakthrough in their quest to apprehend the mastermind behind the bombings and put an end to his reign of terror.

Kaczynski had sent a 35,000-word manifesto to the FBI, revealing his motives. After careful consideration, FBI Director Louis Freeh and Attorney General Janet Reno decided to publish the manifesto in the Washington Post.

The publication led authorities to David Kaczynski, the Unabomber’s brother, who provided crucial letters and documents the Unabomber wrote that were compared to the manifesto. Through linguistic analysis, investigators concluded that they likely originated from the same author, narrowing their search for the Unabomber.

In an apprehension that brought a sense of relief to the nation and a measure of closure for the victims and their families, Kaczynski was eventually arrested in a small cabin in the woods around Lincoln, Montana. 

Upon a search of the shed, officers discovered a chilling array of bomb-making materials as well as 40,000 journal pages that revealed the depths of Kaczynski’s twisted thoughts. They also found a live bomb ready for delivery. 

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesperson Kristie Breshears, the cause of Kaczynski’s death is yet to be determined.