Palm Springs — So, like, long before Guy Bartkus had a whole meltdown and became the main suspect in blowing up a fertility clinic, there was this whole thing about him being super into pyrotechnics. Like, seriously, he was all about setting things on fire and causing explosions. The law enforcement peeps found a bunch of videos on a YouTube channel that they think belonged to Bartkus, and most of them were him just messing around with chemicals and stuff. One video showed a hydrogen balloon on fire, another had M-80s exploding in the desert, and there was even one where he set off a bucket of radioactive uranium ore. Talk about intense, right?
In one vid, Bartkus used some kind of explosive to punch a hole in a metal bar, and it was so loud that the sound echoed through the mountains. “Holy s—!,” a dude can be heard laughing in amazement. Turns out, that same voice was on a 30-minute audio recording that investigators think is linked to Bartkus, where he talks about his hatred for people having kids and his decision to attack a fertility clinic in Palm Springs. The bomb went off at the American Reproductive Centers, messing up the building, hurting four people, and taking Bartkus out in the process. The FBI is calling it domestic terrorism, and DNA tests confirmed Bartkus was toast in the explosion.
Law enforcement sources are saying Bartkus had some pretty dark thoughts, mainly about how bringing kids into the world without their consent is just not cool. They’re also looking into whether his messed-up childhood had something to do with his extreme views. Bartkus’ dad, who hasn’t seen him in forever, was shocked by his son’s actions. He said, “It’s like, this is not my son. His heart was more for helping people, not destroying people.” But, like, the full story on Guy Edward Bartkus is still a mystery. His childhood was rough, with his parents divorcing and accusations of abuse flying around. As he got older, Bartkus got into explosives and started posting videos of his experiments online. His family life was a mess, and his mom even had to get a restraining order against his dad at one point. In the end, Bartkus’ dad thinks he was a good kid who just got lost along the way.
So, like, Bartkus was born in Connecticut but moved to California when he was a tot. His dad said he was always curious and loved to experiment, even if it meant accidentally burning down the family home as a kid. Bartkus got really into explosives as a teen, which worried his dad. Things got even worse when his parents split up, and his mom had to get a restraining order against his dad. Bartkus’ mom eventually filed for divorce, and the family fell apart. His mom said there was emotional abuse, and his dad said she made up stories to make him look bad. It was a whole mess.
In 2019, Bartkus started posting videos of his explosions on YouTube, calling himself “IndictEvolution.” The videos got pretty intense over time, with Bartkus messing around with some seriously dangerous stuff. His online posts started getting darker, with him saying some pretty messed-up stuff about reproduction and infanticide. He even talked about wanting to kill himself in a car with carbon monoxide. The guy was definitely going through some stuff. And now, well, now he’s gone. The end.
