Timothy Jerrell Cunningham, ScD, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) epidemiologist who mysteriously vanished on February 12, was found dead April 3 in the Chattahoochee River in northwest Atlanta near his home, authorities have announced.
In a statement sent to Medscape Medical News, the CDC said Cunningham’s “colleagues and friends at CDC are deeply saddened to learn of his death. Tim was a treasured member of the CDC family and his work as an epidemiologist was invaluable to CDC’s efforts to protect the health, safety, and security of Americans. Tim’s impact will be felt not only through his significant contributions to CDC’s mission but also through his influence on the lives of his colleagues and friends.”
Timothy Jerrell Cunningham C ourtesy of Atlanta Police Department
There were no signs of foul play. The preliminary cause of death is drowning, but the exact manner of death (accident or suicide) has not been determined, and a final report from the medical examiner has not yet been completed. Authorities identified Cunningham through dental records.
As previously reported by Medscape Medical News, Cunningham left work early on February 12 after telling coworkers he felt sick. His parents, Tia and Terrell Cunningham, reported their 35-year-old son missing on February 14, after he had not responded to telephone calls and text messages. Cunningham’s parents said they found their son’s phone, wallet, keys, and car undisturbed inside his house. His dog was also at the house. The Atlanta Police Department issued a missing persons alert on February 17.
The Case Was a Mystery From the Start
Early on, there was speculation that Cunningham’s disappearance was related to his being passed over for a promotion at the CDC, but police could not confirm that. Acting CDC Director Anne Schuchat, MD, issued a statement on March 12 vehemently denying this.
“There has been news coverage that Commander Cunningham recently did not receive a promotion. As many of his colleagues in the USPHS [US Public Health Service] have pointed out, this information is incorrect,” she wrote.
“In fact, he received an early promotion/exceptional proficiency promotion to Commander effective July 1, 2017, in recognition of his exemplary performance in the USPHS. Over and above any of his assignments at CDC, his early promotion within the USPHS reflects his excellence as an officer and an employee,” Schuchat wrote.
Rumors also circulated early on that his disappearance may have had something to do with his alleged role as a flu vaccine whistle-blower, various media outlets reported, but those rumors were quickly debunked by the police and his family.
Cunningham liked to jog and lived close to the Chattahoochee River, where he was found in his jogging shoes, local authorities said. On the basis of the condition of his body when found, it is believed that he had been in the river since he first went missing, they said. They said there was no sign of trauma. “We may never be able to tell you how he got into the river,” police said in a news conference.
The area where the body was found had previously been searched by local officials, but it is difficult terrain, they noted. On April 3, two fisherman discovered the body on the riverbank.
Cunningham trained with the CDC as an epidemic intelligence service officer. At the agency, he focused on understanding health differences related to race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, and geography, according to his CDC bio page. Cunningham had been deployed for many public health emergencies, including Superstorm Sandy and the Ebola and Zika virus outbreaks.
He was a member of the American Public Health Association and the American College of Epidemiology. He received his MS and ScD degrees from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts. Cunningham received his bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia.
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