Police Believe Scientist Was Lured To Death By Thieves Through Grindr

Columbian police believe a group of thieves used Grindr to lure an Italian-born scientist to his death, before dismembering him and scattering his body parts around the coastal town of Santa Marta early last month.

Alessandro Coatti, 38, had been travelling and volunteering in South America after working as a senior policy officer at the Royal Society of Biology in London for eight years.

He was last seen leaving a hostel in Santa Marta on 3 April, according to local paper El Tiempo.

His dismembered body parts were found in suitcases on April 6, April 7, and his legs discovered in a coffee bag on April 8.

A coroner ruled Coatti’s death was caused by blunt trauma to the head.

Although police initially thought his death may have been linked to two rival gangs, they now believe Coatti was the target of local thieves who used the gay dating app to lure him to an abandoned house.

Human rights activist Norma Vera Salazar told El Tiempo there had been a clear pattern of similar crimes in the area, with the remains of 13 people found since the beginning of last year.

“There is a clear recurring pattern in these crimes: bodies are tortured, dismembered, stuffed into garbage or coffee sacks, and abandoned along rural roads,” she said.

“These types of murders are used by self-defence groups to send warning messages, instil fear and mark territory.”

Coatti remembered as “passionate and dedicated”

Santa Marta Mayor Carlos Pinedo Cuello has offered a reward of 50 million pesos (almost $1900 AUD) for any information related to the case.

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

The Royal Society of Biology paid tribute to their late colleague in a statement following news of his death last month, where they remembered him as a “passionate and dedicated scientist”.

“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.”