Dismembered body of London scientist is found in a suitcase in Colombia - as cops hunt for his torso
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A top scientist who used to work for the prestigious Royal Society of Biology has been murdered in Colombia.
Alessandro Coatti's dismembered body was found in a suitcase dumped in a stream in the Caribbean city of Santa Marta.
Police are said to have found only his head, hands and feet and are said to be still searching for his torso and other parts of his body.
Trained molecular biologist Alessandro, 42, had worked at the Royal Society of Biology since April 2017 - first as a science policy officer and for the past six years as a senior science policy officer according to his LinkedIn page.
Before joining the professional association, created to advance the interests of biology in academia, industry, education and research, the Italian-born scientist had been a post-graduate neuroscience researcher at University College London.
Santa Marta's mayor Carlos Pinedo Cuello has offered a £10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for Alessandro's murder.
He said late yesterday: 'I have instructed the authorities to join forces to solve the death of the Italian citizen Alessandro Coatti.
'We are offering a reward of fifty million Colombian pesos for information that will allow us to identify and capture those responsible.
'This crime will not go unpunished. Criminals must know that in Santa Marta criminality has no place. We will pursue them until they are brought to justice.'
Mr Coatti, who was staying at a hostel in Santa Marta's scenic historic centre was last seen leaving on Friday, and is believed to have been on holiday in the area.
His remains were reportedly discovered on Sunday by a group of children.
The spot where he was found is by a road leading to the Sierra Nevada football stadium, which was the host stadium for the football matches at the 2017 Bolivarian Games and is the home stadium of local side Union Magdalena.
He is said to have been identified by a hotel wristband on one of the parts of his body that were discovered.
Mr Coatti was among Royal Society of Biology representatives who appeared before Parliament in June 2022 to discuss the future regulation of UK genetic technologies.
The Royal Society of Biology said in a statement: 'Alessandro Coatti, known as Ale, worked for the Royal Society of Biology for 8 years.
'He was a passionate and dedicated scientist, leading RSB animal science work, writing numerous submissions, organising events and giving evidence in the House of Commons.
'He left RSB at the end of 2024 to volunteer in Ecuador and travel in South America. We are all in shock. Ale will be deeply missed by all who knew and worked with him. Our thoughts and best wishes go out to his friends and family at this truly awful time.'
Colombian media reported a paramilitary group, known locally as the Autodefensas Conquistadores de la Sierra Nevada, operated in the busy port city of Santa Marta.
The organisation suspended peace talks with the Colombian government the day the UK-based scientist was last seen leaving his hotel.
It finances itself through drugs trafficking and extortion.
There is no suggestion at this stage the criminal group is linked to Mr Coatti's disappearance and murder.
Although police went public with the discovery of his body yesterday, the grim find was made a day earlier on Sunday.
The scientist is understood to have reached Santa Marta, the first Spanish settlement in Colombia, on Thursday - a day before he went missing.
Jaime Rios Puerto of the Santa Marta Metropolitan Police confirmed that Coatti had no criminal connections and there was no record of him receiving threats.
'He was a visitor, a scientist, with no suspicious connections', Puerto said.
A worker at the hotel he was staying at, which has not been named, has told police Mr Coatti had asked several times about routes to Minca, a 45-minute drive from Santa Marta.
Described as the 'ecological capital' of the Sierra Nevada mountains it offers visitors jungle hiking, adventure and waterfalls.
An English-language travel website says of the backpacker destination: 'The common question we are asked is, 'Is Minca safe?'
'Minca was originally guerrilla territory and was closed off to everyone, except locals.
'Following the ceasefire by the paramilitary and guerrilla groups over the last several years, Minca was only recently 'discovered' by backpackers in the last eight years and was eventually opened up to host visitors.
'It's not just a place for backpackers either because it has something for everyone (even mid-life travellers like us).
'And the answer to your question, not once have we heard any issues or concerns about safety in Minca Magdalena.'
But another traveller, writing on a Spanish-language blog, said last month: 'I went in 2023 and it was great, as long as you took care in some places.
'The truth is I've heard it's got worse, but I don't know exactly to what extent.'
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.'
He added on LinkedIn: '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.'
His professional biography shows he spent more than a year between 2010 and 2011 working as a staff research associate at the Medical Research Council.
From September 2011 to June 2013 he was a postgraduate researcher in neuroscience at University College London.
He said of his move into policy in a February 2022 interview the Royal Society of Biology published on its website: 'There are two main aspects – one is the passion for science that I've always had, and the other is a new passion for community building and stakeholder engagement. I have discovered I really like the mediation and negotiation part of the role. You have to listen to people with different views and try to understand their thoughts, what their interests are and how you can reach a consensus.'
In October last year he spoke about his work at the Royal Society of Biology and his career trajectory for an Offspring Magazine podcast.
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