Linda Patrik, the philosophy professor who was first to suspect her brother-in-law Ted Kaczynski was the Unabomber, is being remembered by her husband, David Kaczynski. She died in February 2026.
In a new interview with The US Sun, David, 76, called her the person most responsible for ending the Unabomber's reign of violence and saving lives. He described her as deeply spiritual and empathetic.
Patrik's role began in the summer of 1995, while she was on vacation in Paris. Reading reports about the bomber, she noticed his hostility toward technology sounded like letters Ted had written to David. She urged her husband to take the possibility seriously. David shared a 1971 essay by his brother with the FBI, and investigators found 160 similarities with the Unabomber's manifesto.
Over 17 years, the Unabomber's bombs killed three people and injured 23. David has said before that Linda "saved lives."
It was not an easy decision. Patrik said she used Buddhist ethical arguments to help David face the painful possibility. After the arrest, the couple used the $1 million Justice Department reward, after taxes and legal fees, to help victims and their families through the Unabomb Survivors Fund.
Interest in the case has surged since Netflix released Unabomber on September 25. In the real story, the capture came down to a family's painful choice, not just an FBI manhunt.
In a story defined by violence, their decision to act on conscience, and then give the reward to those who were hurt, stands out. We keep the victims and their families in our thoughts.
Related Article: Why Is "Unabomber" the No. 1 Movie on Netflix Despite Bad Reviews?
