Missing Harvard professor raises uneasy questions

Thursday, Nov. 15 began normally enough for Don C. Wiley, Harvard's John L. Loeb Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics. The renowned infectious diseases researcher was taking part in the annual advisory board meeting of St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. But by 4 a.m. the next day, Wiley's visit had taken a turn for the bizarre. His car was found abandoned on a bridge, and Wiley could not be located. Although authorities have looked into the possibility of suicide, because of Wiley's expert knowledge of deadly viruses, they have not ruled out terrorism or foul play.

COURTESY HARVARD ONPA Authorities are considering whether Harvard professor Don C. Wiley may be the victim of foul play motivated by his field of study.

Wiley's rented Mitsubishi Galant was found on the Hernando DeSoto Bridge, which spans the Mississippi River connecting Tennessee to Arkansas. The keys were still in the ignition, the gas tank was full, and the emergency lights were not turned on. The doors were unlocked, and the Memphis police uncovered no signs of struggle.

Wily's younger brother discounts the suicide theory being bandied about, claiming that he professor went for a jog the day he disappeared. "Would a man about to commit suicide go for a run?" Greg Wiley told the Boston Globe ["Family Discounts Suicide Theory," Globe, 11/23/01]. People who were with Wiley the day he vanished said that they noticed nothing unusual about his behavior.

In light of the heightened awareness to the possibility of bioterrorism, some suspect that Wiley's disappearance could be linked to his specialty. Wiley is a prominent researcher of viruses and proteins in the human immune system. His work concerns the mechanism that allows viruses to infect cells and the method by which the cells respond. He has worked with viruses such as influenza, AIDS, Ebola, and herpes simplex. In 1999, Wiley and Jack Strominger, Higgins Professor of Biochemistry at Harvard, were awarded the prestigious Japan Prize for their work on the human immune system's response to infections.

Wiley's colleagues claim that his expertise would not help someone with criminal intentions. "He never grew viruses. He didn't even knew how to grow viruses," Strominger told Newsday ["Harvard Scientist missing; FBI not discounting links to bioterrorism," Newsday, 11/27/01].

Wiley's work has focused primarily on viral structure, and specifically on how viruses latch on to cells and how they evolved in order to avoid the immune system of their host. His work has had little to do with actual live microbes.

The FBI also has its reservations with the terrorist-related theory. "There's nothing that I'm aware of that would link his disappearance to his area of expertise," George Bolds, a spokesperson for the Bureau, said. "The circumstances don't support [that conclusion]." Bolds went on to say that the FBI's involvement in the investigation of Wiley's disappearance is minimal. "We're not jointly investigating [the case]," he said. "Right now, there's not a thing we could or would do."

Wiley's vanishing has left Memphis police dumbfounded. Wiley had no prior mental problems or any known domestic or financial troubles. Without evidence to suggest any specific scenario, the police are only left with possibilities. "We have very few leads," Lieutenant Walter Norr-is, a homicide detective for the Memphis Police Department, said.

Wiley was supposed to pick up his wife, Katrin Valgeirs-dottir, and their two children at the airport the same day he disappeared. It was a tradition for the Wileys to visit family around the area after the professor finished his advisory board meeting.

Throughout the investigation, Harvard University has remained relatively silent. "Harvard University is not speculating on motives in the case," Ben Welch, a spokesperson for the University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences, said. The University is, however, keeping in touch with law enforcement officials both locally and in Memphis.

Harvard and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital are offering $10,000 for information leading to the discovery of Wiley.

Currently police are intensely searching Memphis for the professor. Flyers are circulating throughout the city and canvassers have gone downtown to glean any information about his disappearance. A Coast Guard search of the Mississippi River has not yet turned up anything.

Without new information, the prospects of finding out what happened to Wiley appear grim. Investigators, however, remain optimistic. "We're hoping something will come up," Norris said. "We won't give up."

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