Tributes to ex-London scientist after body found dismembered in Colombia

Tributes have been made to a “passionate and dedicated” scientist after parts of his dismembered body were found in a suitcase in Colombia.

Alessandro Coatti, who worked at the Royal Society of Biology (RSB) in London, was found on the outskirts of Santa Marta, a port city on the Caribbean coast. The 42-year-old molecular biologist was travelling and conducting research in South America after working in London for eight years.

The mayor of Santa Marta, Carlos Pinedo Cuello, said a £9,000 reward was being offered for information leading to the capture of those responsible for the death of the Italian national.

In a statement posted on X, Pinedo Cuello said: “This crime will not go unpunished. The criminals must know that crime has no place in Santa Marta. We will pursue them until they are brought to justice.”

Santa Marta, which is surrounded by beaches and mountains, is a gateway to some of Colombia’s most popular tourist destinations including the village of Minca, the Tayrona national park and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains.

A hotel worker who spoke to the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo said Coatti had inquired about visiting Minca, famous for its organic coffee and varied birdlife, and was conducting research on local animal species, the Associated Press reported.

Coatti, who did his master’s degree at University College London, was described as “funny, warm, intelligent” by former colleagues at the RSB, where he worked for eight years first as a science policy officer before being promoted to senior science policy officer. Coatti was among RSB representatives who appeared before parliament in June 2022 to discuss the future regulation of UK genetic technologies.

He left the RSB at the end of 2024 to volunteer in Ecuador and travel in South America.

“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,” the RSB said in a statement. “Ale was funny, warm, intelligent, loved by everyone he worked with and 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.”

Coatti had previously talked about his passion for his work on social media. On LinkedIn he explained he was “focused specifically on ethical research and innovation topics, particularly in the animal and biomedical fields”.

Discussing his move into policy in a February 2022 interview published on the RSB website, he described being motivated by a longstanding “passion for science” and “a new passion for community building and stakeholder engagement”, adding: “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.”