Death of U.S. Priest in Kenya Unresolved

An inquiry by Kenyan police and the FBI suggests an American priest committed suicide in August, a theory rejected by colleagues who believe the missionary was killed for criticizing the Kenyan government.

Investigators do not expect to reach a conclusion on the death of the Rev. John Kaiser, 67, only to present their findings, officials close to the inquiry said.

But the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, insisted Thursday that there was no evidence that the Roman Catholic priest, originally from Perham, Minn., was killed. Instead, they said, his erratic behavior in the days and hours before his death was consistent with someone who was suicidal--including long periods without sleep.

Church officials are aware that the investigation was leaning toward suicide as the probable explanation for the death, said Bernard Phelan, vicar general of Mill Hill Missionaries, Kaiser’s religious order.

Phelan said Kaiser was not the type of man to take his own life. And Phelan said Kaiser had written to him after receiving anonymous death threats warning that Kenyan government agents might try to kill him and make it look like a suicide.

Kaiser’s death provoked indignation from international human rights groups, and the U.S. Congress demanded an FBI investigation.

A brief interim report was due to be submitted to Congress this week, but investigators said a full report would probably not be completed until early next year because forensic evidence was still being processed.