Kriti Mehrotra
When writer-turned-investigative journalist Joseph Daniel “Danny” Casolaro was found dead on August 10, 1991, it honestly left not just his loved ones but also the entire nation baffled to its core. After all, as carefully chronicled in Netflix’s ‘American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders,’ he’d been looking into what he believed was possibly the political scandal of the century when he passed. The fact he did so under mysterious circumstances — with officials claiming suicide while his family, especially younger brother Tony, asserted foul play — actually still doesn’t sit well with many.
Who is Tony Casolaro?
Although Anthony “Tony” Casolaro is admittedly a baby in his McLean, Virginia-hailing Christian family considering he was among the younger of seven siblings to be born, Danny was the apple of everyone’s eye. This arguably should have annoyed the youngest to no extent, but the truth is he was least bothered because his big brother was his favorite too despite their personalities being completely opposite. We say this since the latter was an extroverted, gung-ho type, yet the reason he received unwavering love was solely related to him being the epitome of what it means to be kind as well as caring.
It thus comes as no surprise that even though Danny had his faults, such as minor things like always running quite late, his loved ones obviously only cared about his overall well-being. That’s part of why Tony still vividly remembers the last time he ever saw his brother alive — it was in his home three weeks prior to the fateful August day to celebrate his son’s third birthday. The writer arrived tardily as usual, but he also stayed long because the entire family was there and they all loved spending quality time together, especially as they’d already lost two siblings.
As per reports, while one Casolaro kid sadly died shortly after birth due to an ailment, another passed from a drug overdose in 1971, and it’s never been clear whether it was suicide or accidental. Therefore, of course, when Danny told Tony he’d been receiving death threats over the story he’d been pursuing while standing in the kitchen that mid-July evening, the latter did get a little worried. However, according to his own accounts, he didn’t think too much of it despite his brother asserting, “If an accident happens, don’t believe it,” since he genuinely assumed the hobbyist boxer plus street-smart journalist would be able to handle anything in his way.
Little did Tony know Danny would soon actually be discovered dead in the bathtub of his hotel room (#517) at the Sheraton Hotel in Martinsburg, West Virginia, where he’d gone to meet a source. The former was called to be informed of this news on August 10, 1991, itself, yet what he found strange was the fact his loving sibling had somehow already been embalmed without an autopsy. Though he still requested one, only for it to conclude that the deep 10-12 slashes on the deceased’s wrists were self-inflicted and his cause of death was thus blood loss-driven suicide.
That’s when Tony came forward to vehemently disavow this verdict on the basis of the warning-like statement Danny had made mere weeks prior while also offering several other personal arguments. He once said, “It’s actually that issue [of our sister Lisa possibly deliberately overdosing in 1971] that makes the question of Danny committing suicide almost impossible… He was sort of angry at her. The effect was so damaging.” In another public interview, he claimed his brother had a genuine fear of blood tests, so it was almost incomprehensible that if he did indeed go down the self-killing route, he did so by cutting his wrists a dozen times.
Where is Tony Casolaro Now?
Nevertheless, once another autopsy as well as the FBI got involved in this ordeal and indicated they’d ended up with the same verdict (despite some later) doubts, Tony had no choice but to accept it. He has purportedly never believed his sibling took his own life, yet he has since done his best to come to terms with the facts so as to move on in a way he’s sure Danny would’ve wanted for him. The loss plus grief admittedly still hang over his head like a dark cloud, but it does appear as if he’s now focusing solely on all past positives and keeping memories alive even in the public eye.
As for Tony’s own personal standing, from what we can tell, he’s a proud Pulmonary and Critical Care specialist who continues to reside alongside his family in Fairfax County, Virginia, to this day. He’d actually graduated with honors from the University of Virginia back in the 1970s before earning his medical degree at Georgetown University’s School of Medicine in 1980. He then apparently did his residency in Internal Medicine at Emory University Hospital until 1983, prior to completing his Pulmonary Disease fellowship at the National Institute of Health in 1985.
It was only after that that Tony was able to make a name for himself with the help of his diagnostic skills plus affable personality, starting with being appointed Clinical Chief at the National Institute of Health. He has even been Chief of Staff at Virginia Hospital Center, an Associate Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University’s School of Medicine, a Board Member of the Arlington Free Clinic, and a Consulting Physician for the White House Medical Unit. However, today, this Northern Virginia Magazine, Superdocs, as well as Washington Magazine designated “Top Physician” primarily only serves as the Head Team Physician for the Washington Redskins and as a Pulmonogist at the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington plus MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington.
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