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One of the pioneers of anti-virus software has allegedly descended into drug-induced paranoia and is now wanted for murder, according to a popular tech website.

John McAfee, the 67-year-old founder of the computer security company that bears his name, has been living in Belize in a jungle compound stockpiled with weapons and outfitted with a chemistry lab, reports Gizmodo.

McAfee has been using the lab to develop an antimicrobial agent derived from rainforest plants and also, according to the report, to experiment with a dangerous hallucinatory drug called MDPV, commonly used in so-called bath salts.

His alleged erratic behaviour has increasingly alienated him from his fellow ex-pats, reportedly coming to a head when fellow American Gregory Paul was shot dead Saturday in his own home.

McAfee is the prime suspect, Gizmodo says, citing a Belizean police spokesman.