UCL alum’s dismembered body found in suitcase after disappearing in Colombia

Pieces of a UCL alum’s body have been found in a suitcase after he disappeared from a hostel in Colombia.

The suitcase containing the head, hands and feet of Alessandro Coatti, 42, was found dumped in a stream in the city of Santa Marta, where he is believed to have been staying on holiday. His torso and limbs are still missing.

The ex-UCL postgraduate neuroscience researcher had been working for the Royal Society of Biology before travelling to South America earlier this year. Reports suggest he was last seen on Friday before vanishing from his hostel in Santa Marta’s city centre. 

According to the Daily Mail, the suitcase containing his body parts was found near the Sierra Nevada football stadium on Sunday, reportedly by a group of children. He is believed to have been identified by a hotel wristband on one of his recovered limbs. 

Santa Marta’s mayor, Carlos Pinedo Cuello, has offered a £10,000 reward in exchange for any information that leads to the arrest of Alessandro’s murderers. Speaking late on Monday, he said: “I have instructed the authorities to join forces to solve the death of the Italian citizen Alessandro Coatti.

“We are offering a reward of 50 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.”

In a statement released today, the Royal Society of Biology said: “Alessandro Coatti, known as Ale, worked for the Royal Society of Biology for eight years in the Science Policy team.

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“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.

“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.”

Murder rates in Santa Marta, the oldest Spanish settlement in Colombia, have doubled over the past decade. Colombian media has linked Alessandro’s murder to a local paramilitary group known as the Autodefensas Conquistadores de la Sierra Nevada, but no official connection to the group has been reported. 

Colonel Jaime Ríos Puerto of the Santa Marta Metropolitan Police confirmed that Alessandro is not believed to have been involved in any suspicious activity: “He was a visitor, a scientist, with no suspicious connections.”

Local police are still searching for the rest of his remains.

Featured image via Royal Society of Biology