Tributes have been paid to a London scientist after dismembered body parts were found in a suitcase in Colombia.
Alessandro Coatti quit his job at the British Royal Society of Biology (RSB) late last year to travel and volunteer in South America.
But remains believed to belong to Mr Coatti were discovered in gruesome circumstances in the city of Santa Marta, near a stadium and a river, with a reward now offered to track down his suspected killers.
The city’s mayor, Carlos Pinedo Cuello, announced on Monday he was offering $50 million pesos (£9,000) for any information relating to the murder.
“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,” he wrote on social media.
Mr Coatti, known as Ale to friends, had worked for the RSB for eight years. The society said it was “devastated” to announce the news of his death. The RSB said Mr Coatti, an Italian citizen, had left the organisation to volunteer in Ecuador and travel in South America.
“Ale was funny and kind. He was intellectually curious about everything, he always had a question ... or three, about everything,” a spokesperson from the RSB told The Independent.
“He was passionate about his work at RSB, about the biosciences in general and about the environment. He was always thoughtful and committed and engaged with his complex policy areas with enthusiasm. He loved cycling and he loved cooking.”
The spokesperson added: “He had so many close friends at RSB and in the bioscience world more widely. He was greatly loved by everyone he worked with. He had many friends here in the UK and family back in Italy.”
Mr Coatti began working at the RSB as a science policy officer before being promoted to senior science policy officer, leading the RSB’s work in animal science and giving evidence in the House of Commons.
According to his LinkedIn, Mr Coatti did postgraduate research at University College London from September 2011 to June 2013, and prior to that he was a science policy intern at the Italian Embassy in London.
The Italian Embassy in London, the British Foreign Office and Santa Marta Police have been contacted for comment.
Just last week Santa Marta was nominated for South America’s leading tourist attraction in the 2025 World Travel Awards, the city’s mayor said, thanks to its Tayrona National Park.
“How proud we are, my people! Just a few months away from turning 500, the world is recognizing the greatness of our Pearl,” he wrote on X.
