An Italian researcher, Alessandro Coatti, 42, was killed and dismembered in Colombia, the Italian embassy in Bogotá confirmed on Tuesday.
His head and arms were discovered in a suitcase near a stadium in Santa Marta. Police identified Coatti using a hotel bracelet he wore. Other body parts were found in a different area of the city.
Initial reports suggest Coatti went out on Saturday night to visit a nightclub but never returned.
Coatti, from Portomaggiore (Ferrara), had been touring South America. He had already visited Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. In Colombia, he had also visited the Tyrona natural park.
The Italian Embassy in Bogotá is helping Coatti’s family identify the body. It is also working with local authorities on the investigation.
Santa Marta’s mayor, Carlos Pinedo Cuello, offered a €10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the murderers. Cuello promised, “This crime will not go unpunished.”
A “dedicated scientist”
The Royal Society of Biology (RSB) in Britain wrote it is “shocked by the announcement of the death of former colleague Alessandro Coatti, murdered in Colombia”.
Coatti worked for the RSB for eight years. He led its science policy team before being promoted to senior manager. The RSB described him as “a passionate and dedicated scientist” who contributed extensively to animal science, “writing numerous papers and organising events and presentations” in Parliament.
Mr Coatti described himself on his social media as a “driven and enthusiastic senior professional with more than seven years’ experience of influencing public policy through science’ as well as a ‘big picture thinker and creative problem solver.”
On LinkedIn, he said, “I am a trained biologist (molecular & cellular biologist, with 5+ years of research experience in neuroscience), who has worked in science policy for the past 6+ years.
“I have conducted my most recent work in the UK science policy ecosystem, where I interacted and managed relationships with the different stakeholders: learned societies, scientific academies, industry, regulatory bodies, government departments (incl. senior leadership and ministers) and parliament.
“My remit has focused specifically on ethical research and innovation topics, particularly in the animal and biomedical fields.”
