If true, I'd say "a medical researcher said to be on the 'verge of making very significant' coronavirus findings" being murdered makes the headline totally appr

If true, I'd say "a medical researcher said to be on the 'verge of making very significant' coronavirus findings" being murdered makes the headline totally appropriate. I understand that the mind leans inevitably toward the question "was the murder related", making the headline seem like it's implying an inappropriate theory, but I just don't see another way of wording the headline any more neutrally, and I think it would be ridiculous to remove a relevant description from the headline just to avoid that inevitable thought.