DNA testing on human remains found at the scene of Saturday’s bombing of a Palm Springs fertility clinic confirmed them to be those of the man named as a suspect in the explosion, FBI officials said.
The FBI announced on social media that the DNA from the human remains found “a positive match to Guy Edward Bartkus, the suspect in the clinic attack.
FBI officials said previously the remains at the scene were presumed to be those of the 25-year-old Twentynine Palms resident, who was identified over the weekend as the suspect in the blast that occurred around 11 a.m. Saturday at the American Reproductive Centers facility clinic, 1199 N. Canyon Drive.
The clinic was closed at the time of the explosion, but four others were injured at the scene. Those victims were released from medical care as of Sunday. Bartkus has now been confirmed as the only fatality.
In a Sunday morning news briefing, Akil Davis, assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, said authorities served a search warrant Saturday at Bartkus’ home in Twentynine Palms, where some neighbors were briefly evacuated.
Davis said Bartkus was driving a 2010 silver Ford Fusion sedan with California license number 8HWS848.
“That’s critical because we need the public’s help in identifying the gaps in our investigation,” Davis said. “We know where Mr. Bartkus was at about 6 a.m. We know the timeline of when he entered the city; however, we need the public’s help for identifying where he traversed within the city before the explosion.”
Authorities were also working to determine what type of explosives were used and where the suspect obtained them.
The clinic sustained extensive damage in the blast, which Davis described Saturday as an “intentional act of terrorism” and “one of the largest bombing investigations we’ve had in Southern California,” with evidence strewn for hundreds of feet around the blast.
On Sunday, Davis went a step further saying: “The is probably the largest bombing scene that we’ve had in Southern California. This does eclipse the bombing matter in Aliso Viejo (at a day spa in 2018); it’s that big. For reference, to throw pieces of vehicle hundreds of feet in the air, and several blocks away, you can use your imagination how big that bomb device was.”
The Aliso Viejo bombing mentioned by Davis occurred on May 15, 2018. Stephen Beal of Long Beach was convicted of causing that bombing, which killed his ex-girlfriend Ildiko Krajnyak and severely injured two clients — a mother and daughter. Beal was sentenced to life in prison.
Authorities reiterated Sunday that all the embryos inside the fertility clinic building were safe.
Davis said Sunday that “the suspect had nihilistic ideations.”
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli noted that “an anti pro-life manifesto believed to be authored by the suspect has been located and is being examined by the FBI. We are happy to report that no embryos at the IVF center were damaged by the explosion. This case is being treated as an intentional act of domestic terrorism. The investigation is ongoing.”
The online manifesto includes a rambling audio recording, with the author outlining his motivations and noting that “nobody got my consent” to be born. The website — since removed from the internet — noted that the person intended to live-stream his suicide during the bombing of an IVF clinic. FBI officials said they believe Bartkus was trying to livestream the bombing but failed.
In an interview with The New York Times, Bartkus’ father, Richard, said his son would often build stink bombs as a child, was good with a firearm and liked to build rockets. He said he has not spoken to his son in about a decade.
A photo posted online Saturday by a witness showed what appeared to be at least part of a body near the blast scene, which was later covered with a white blanket. Other images showed the remains of a vehicle in the parking lot behind the clinic and the clinic’s front facade in the street.
Witness video also showed scattered debris in the street in front of the clinic and windows shattered at multiple businesses in the area, including a nearby liquor store. Residents reported feeling the shaking from the blast throughout the city.
The clinic is located near Desert Regional Medical Center, which did not sustain any serious damage.
According to the American Reproductive Centers’ website, the clinic opened in 2006 and is the Coachella Valley’s “first and only full-service fertility center and IVF (in vitro fertilization) lab.” Its services also include LGBTQ family building, egg donation and freezing, fertility evaluations and embryo transfer.
Dr. Maher Abdallah, who runs the clinic, posted a message on social media saying the facility’s office space was damaged but the lab was untouched. He confirmed that no employees of the clinic were injured.
The clinic resumed seeing patients on Monday at an undisclosed location.
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