Kern County Obituaries

Seth Craige Whitley

Submitted by Don Stowell; 13 Feb 2008

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Source Unknown; 13 May 1954

Russian Burp Gun Used For Suicide
A Russian "burp gun" was the weapon used by Seth Craige Whitley to end his life 
Friday, May 8 at 1 :10 p.m. in his apartment at the Naval Housing according to 
Sheriff's Sgt. Loren Fote of Mojave substation.	
He had been taken into custody at Edwards AFB where he had been emp1oyed 
by Douglas Aircraft, on a warrant charging him with failure to provide for children 
by a previous wife.	
He had asked the arresting officers, Loren Fote and Tom Shuell, for permission to 
pick up certain personal effects and bid his wife goodbye. He was granted this and 
was almost ready to leave when he dashed back into the apartment. 
Shell followed the man and saw him come out of a closet with the automatic 
weapon in his hand. Tom ducked as a burst of shots riddled the man with several
piercing the walls of an adjoining' apartment. 
Whitley was instantly killed by the terrific volley and the body was removed to 
O'Donnell Funeral Home where funeral arrangements were to be made pending an 
autopsy, which was held at the O'Donnell Funeral Home on Tuesday afternoon.