By David Emery

05/27/99 — According to wire reports, an affidavit filed in court on May 26, 1999 by lawyers for the IRS contained the first official confirmation that Madalyn Murray O'Hair, the missing leader of American Atheists, Inc., is dead. The affidavit accuses a former employee of the organization of murdering O'Hair and two of her children. All three had been missing and presumed dead since 1995.

The atheist matriarch, whose 1963 Supreme Court challenge brought about an end to prayer in school classrooms, has long been the subject of a false rumor that has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity because of recent activity in the disappearance case. It asserts that Ms. O'Hair has filed a petition with the FCC asking for a ban all religious broadcasting in the U.S. (see "O'Hair vs. Religious Broadcasting").

Will confirmation of O'Hair's death finally put an end to the 25-year-old rumor? It's hard to be optimistic, considering O'Hair has been absent from public life for over four years, yet the false charges were still circulating by email as recently as three weeks ago. Only time will tell.

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