Did Aetna CEO die after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's murder?

Rumors about the death of Aetna CEO have recently gained traction on X, following the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Johnson. However, these claims are entirely false.  

The X account @HESaBSG shared a post on December 7 with a link to a Sanfranchronicle article featuring a headline that read, “CEO of Aetna Healthcare Group Found Dead in Second Apparent Killing of Health Insurance Executives.” The tweet stated:  
“Christ- another one. Be careful what you wish for, people.”  

At the time this article was written, the tweet had garnered over 1.6 million views.  

Despite the viral claims, the Aetna CEO has not passed away. Clicking on the link in the tweet redirects users to the Sanfranchronicle website, which displays an explicit image of a man rather than a news article.  

The initial reports of the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s fatal shooting outside a Manhattan hotel seem to have sparked these rumors. The gunman responsible for Thompson’s death had not been apprehended at the time this article was written, but surveillance footage had identified a suspect.

Numerous X users warned others against clicking the link shared in the viral tweet. User @fintechzach shared: “I clicked on the link. Let’s just say it wasn’t a news article.”  

Similarly, @heyEXTRA tweeted: “Don’t click the Aetna link. You're welcome.”  

X's Community Notes clarified that the link from *Sanfranchronicle* was not related to the alleged death of the Aetna CEO. They added: "It is clickbait that takes you to p*rn with a picture of Barry Wood completely naked."  

As of the time of writing, Aetna had not issued a statement addressing the false rumors circulating online.  

In the wake of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s death, CNN reported on December 6 that security measures for healthcare executives are being heightened. John J. Miller, CNN's Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst, stated: “The heads of major health care concerns and their security departments were adding people, security details, precautions, mail screening- across the country.”