Palm Springs, CA (May 18, 2025) — Federal investigators have formally identified the suspect in Saturday’s deadly explosion at the Palm Springs Fertility and Wellness Center as Guy Edward Bartkus, a 25-year-old resident of Twentynine Palms, California. The attack, which took the lives of three individuals and left five others injured, has sent shockwaves through the medical community and reignited national conversations around reproductive health, ideological extremism, and online radicalization.
According to the Department of Justice and the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, Bartkus was confirmed as the lone perpetrator after forensic evidence from the scene — including remnants of the explosive device and digital footprints — led authorities to his home, where a disturbing manifesto and additional materials used in bomb-making were discovered.
A Chilling Manifesto
In a 47-page document published online shortly before the attack, Bartkus described himself as a “pro-mortalist”, a fringe anti-natalist ideology that asserts life itself is a harm and that birth is a morally indefensible act. “People never gave consent to be born,” he wrote in one passage. “To create life is to impose suffering without permission.” Bartkus singled out in-vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics in particular, calling them “temples of unethical creation” and describing IVF as “unnatural and extremely wrong.”
The manifesto, laced with philosophical rhetoric and apocalyptic overtones, condemned not only reproductive technologies, but also the broader medical and scientific communities that enable them. Authorities believe this ideology played a central role in motivating Bartkus to target the Palm Springs clinic.
The Attack
The explosion occurred at approximately 9:17 a.m. Saturday morning, just as clinic staff were opening for the day. Surveillance footage and witness testimony suggest that Bartkus used a homemade improvised explosive device (IED), likely concealed in a backpack, which he placed in the clinic’s reception area before fleeing the scene.
Emergency response teams arrived within minutes, but the blast had already caused catastrophic damage to the front wing of the facility. Among the victims were Dr. Evelyn Kline, a reproductive endocrinologist and founder of the clinic, as well as two patients — both women in their early 30s who had arrived for early morning consultations.
Who Was Guy Edward Bartkus?
Little is publicly known about Bartkus, who had no prior criminal record and lived alone in a rented trailer on the outskirts of Twentynine Palms. Neighbors described him as reclusive and “intensely private,” but not overtly hostile. However, investigators now believe he had been active in various online forums dedicated to anti-natalist and pro-mortalist ideologies. Some of his posts, traced back to as early as 2023, foreshadowed his growing frustration with society and reproductive technologies.
In one chilling forum entry dated March 2025, Bartkus wrote: “Creating life in a lab is a declaration of war on the unborn. There will be consequences.”
Federal officials are now working with cybersecurity experts to determine whether Bartkus acted entirely alone or had contact with any sympathizers online. So far, no co-conspirators have been identified.
National and Community Reactions
The attack has been widely condemned across political, religious, and ideological lines. President Alicia Monroe issued a statement Saturday evening expressing condolences to the victims’ families and condemning the “heinous and cowardly act of domestic terrorism.”
“This was not just an attack on a clinic,” said Monroe, “but on the right of families to seek help in bringing life into the world.”
In Palm Springs, hundreds gathered Sunday night at a candlelight vigil outside City Hall to honor the lives lost. “Dr. Kline changed the lives of countless families,” said Marisol Vega, a former patient who gave birth to twins through IVF in 2021. “Her death is a tragedy we will never understand.”
Broader Implications
This incident marks a grim milestone in what experts are calling a troubling rise in ideology-driven violence against healthcare providers. While violence related to abortion services has a long and well-documented history, this case represents a rare — and possibly unprecedented — attack motivated by anti-natalist extremism.
Dr. Ananya Mishra, a sociologist at UC Riverside specializing in fringe ideologies, noted, “What makes this especially disturbing is the shift from passive philosophical dissent to active violence. Pro-mortalist ideas have typically remained in obscure corners of the internet. Bartkus may have changed that.”
Ongoing Investigation
The FBI, in coordination with Homeland Security and local law enforcement, is continuing its investigation. Authorities are urging anyone with information about Bartkus’s activities, communications, or possible accomplices to come forward. A tip line has been established and enhanced security protocols have been issued to reproductive health centers nationwide.
As the city of Palm Springs begins to grieve and rebuild, many are left grappling with a haunting question: how does someone move from philosophical pessimism to mass violence — and what can be done to prevent the next tragedy?
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