Royal Society of Biology Mourns Scientist killed in Colombia

Tributes were paid to a scientist based in London who previously worked for the Royal Society of Biology (RSB) after being found murdered in northern Colombia.

The remains of Alessandro Coatti were discovered on the outskirts of Santa Marta, a port city on the Caribbean coast, on Sunday, investigators.

The mayor of Santa Marta, Carlos Pinedo Cuello, said that a reward of 50,000,000 Colombian pesos (£ 8,940) was offered for information leading to the capture of officials of the death of the Italian citizen.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the RSB said it was “devastated” by the news of Mr. Coatti’s murder.

“He was a passionate and dedicated scientist, leading the work of Animal Science RSB, writing numerous bids, organizing events and providing evidence in the House of Commons,” said the RSB.

“Ale was funny, warm, intelligent, loved by all those with whom he worked and will be deeply missing by all those who knew and worked with him.

“Our thoughts and best wishes go to his friends and family at the moment really horrible.”

Santa Marta is a bridge to some of the most popular tourist destinations in Colombia, including Tayrona National Park, Minca and the Sierra Nevada mountains of Santa Marta.

Mr. Coatti, who took a master’s degree at the University College of London (UCL), worked for the RSB for eight years as a scientific policy before being promoted responsible for scientific policies.

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

Parts of the dismembered body of the scientist were found in a suitcase thrown into a stream.

Publishing on X, Mr. Pinedo Cuello said: “This crime will not remain unpunished. Criminals must know that crime has no place in Santa Marta. We will pursue them until they are brought to justice.”

A hotel worker who spoke to the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo said that Mr. Coatti had inquired about the visit to the village of Minca and had research on local animal species.