Tributes have been paid to a murdered former Royal Society of Biology scientist after his dismembered body parts were found in Colombia.
Investigators in Santa Marta, a port city on Colombia's Caribbean coast, said Italian national Alessandro Coatti was dismembered after he was killed, with some of his remains found in a black suitcase by police.
The mayor of Santa Marta, Carlos Pinedo Cuello, said authorities had offered a reward of nearly $11,300 for information that leads to the capture of those responsible.
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."
Coatti, who took a master's course at University College London (UCL), worked for the Royal Society of Biology (RSB) for eight years as science policy officer before being promoted to senior science policy officer.
He left the RSB at the end of 2024 to volunteer in Ecuador and travel in South America.
In a Tuesday statement, the RSB said: "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.
"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."
Santa Marta is a gateway to some of Colombia's most popular tourist destinations including Tayrona National Park, Minca, and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains.
