Slain DNC staffer’s family: Conspiracy theorists ‘doing more harm than good’

The family of slain Democratic National Committee (DNC) staffer Seth Rich said that politicized conspiracy theories are “doing more harm than good” and are getting in the way of the ongoing investigation into his death.

{mosads}”The family welcomes any and all information that could lead to the identification of the individuals responsible, and certainly welcomes contributions that could lead to new avenues of investigation,” Rich family spokesman Brad Bauman said in the statement to the Business Insider on Wednesday.

“That said, some are attempting to politicize this horrible tragedy, and in their attempts to do so, are actually causing more harm than good and impeding on the ability for law enforcement to properly do their job.

“For the sake of finding Seth’s killer, and for the sake of giving the family the space they need at this terrible time, they are asking for the public to refrain from pushing unproven and harmful theories about Seth’s murder,” Bauman added.

Rich was shot to death in Washington, D.C., in July.

WikiLeaks on Tuesday said it will offer a $20,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of Rich’s killer, and its founder, Julian Assange, seemed to suggest he was a potential source for the anti-secrecy group.

“Whistleblowers go to significant efforts to get us material and often very significant risks. As a 27 year-old, works for the DNC, was shot in the back, murdered just a few weeks ago for unknown reasons as he was walking down the street in Washington,” he said in an interview with Dutch television on Tuesday.

“I’m suggesting that our sources take risks,” Assange added, while also stating that WikiLeaks does not disclose the names of sources.

D.C. police spokeswoman Alice Kim dismissed the conspiracy theories that connect Rich’s death.

“At this time, there is no indication that Seth Rich’s death is connected to his employment at the DNC. However, we welcome information that could potentially lead to the identification of the individual(s) responsible for his death and are pleased when any outside contributors help us generate new leads,” Kim told Business Insider. 

Authorities previously said the crime appeared to be a robbery attempt.

D.C. police are offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for the shooting death of the DNC staffer.