Nobel Prize Winner Spotted Wondering Rural Road As Wife Found Dead Nearby
March 15 2018, Updated 12:47 p.m. ET
Purdue University Professor Ei-ichi Negishi has been found after having gone missing with wife Sumire Negishi this past Monday in Indiana. The Nobel Prize winner was discovered by police this Tuesday, as he wandered along a rural road in Orchard Hills, Illinois.
The 82-year-old seemed confused when he spoke to cops and was immediately hospitalized. Investigators then found Sumire’s dead body in a nearby landfill, along with the couple’s vehicle, according to PEOPLE.
The chemist’s 80-year-old wife suffered from Parkinson’s Disease. While officials are still investigating her death, they do not suspect foul play.
The Negishi family filed a statement following Sumire’s death and Ei-ichi’s hospitalization, saying that they were heartbroken by the dreadful incident.
“We are devastated by the loss of our beloved wife and mother, Sumire Negishi, who was near the end of her battle with Parkinson’s. She was traveling with her lifelong partner and husband, Eiichi Negishi, who was apparently suffering from an acute state of confusion and shock,” the statement read.
“The car was stuck in a ditch and determined to be non-functioning and he appeared to be searching for help. The location and car condition were substantiated by the Ogle County Detective, Mr. Doug Lockard. Detective Lockard also confirmed that the first thing our father said was that he was trying to get to the airport for a trip,” explained the family in their message.
Purdue University President Mitch Daniels also voiced his condolences over the sad death, saying in his own statement: “It appears that the Parkinson’s disease from which she has been suffering and the mental confusion that age can bring to the most brilliant minds combined to produce the recent tragic events. That these phenomena are so common does not make their consequences any less cruel.”
RIP Sumire Negishi.
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