Found Deceased Chile - Tom Marsh 60, Uk National, University Professor missing from a research trip, 16 September 2022

[TootsieFootsie]

I haven't read anything about the cause or manner of death and have been reading any article I find.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Body found in hunt for Brit astronomer Tom Marsh missing in Chilean desert

A body has been found in rocky terrain in the search for missing Professor Tom March who was working at La Silla observatory on the outskirts of the Atacama Desert in Chile

www.mirror.co.uk

Local prosecutor Adrian Vega said that the body had been located after a long search in an area where it would be easy to "twist an ankle or fall" due to the rocky terrain.

He told reporters: " It is a very rugged area, for people trying to climb down you have to pass through areas which are very rocky and it is where anyone could twist an ankle or fall and this is one of the hypothesis which the forensics will be examining."

 

[TLobo]

Trying to add any new information that has not been posted yet...

El Pais article

--body found amongst a cluster of rocks, undressed from the waist up
--the Chilean police had previously found his cell phone and some of his clothes in the area
--one of the investigators' hypotheses is that Tom had just gone out trekking, and it was noted that he knew the terrain well

Infobae article

--body discovered lying on its side, undressed from the waist up and wearing the hiking pants and shoes like Prof Marsh would typically wear when he would go out on field work
--they theorize he had gone out into the desert, trekking/hiking, early in the morning
--Sr Vega believes it is extremely likely that Prof Marsh just had an unfortunate accident while out in this rough terrain, but is quick to add that he is confident that "thanatological examinations" (new word for me! thanatology = study of death) will provide definitive answers

 

[magicslipper]

Rest in peace Tom , such sad news.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Sincere condolences to Tom's family.

 

[Quim The Extraordinaire]

Condolences to Tom’s family. He left an impressive legacy, and I hope that brings some comfort.

Trying to add any new information that has not been posted yet...

El Pais article

--body found amongst a cluster of rocks, undressed from the waist up
--the Chilean police had previously found his cell phone and some of his clothes in the area
--one of the investigators' hypotheses is that Tom had just gone out trekking, and it was noted that he knew the terrain well

Infobae article

--body discovered lying on its side, undressed from the waist up and wearing the hiking pants and shoes like Prof Marsh would typically wear when he would go out on field work
--they theorize he had gone out into the desert, trekking/hiking, early in the morning
--Sr Vega believes it is extremely likely that Prof Marsh just had an unfortunate accident while out in this rough terrain, but is quick to add that he is confident that "thanatological examinations" (new word for me! thanatology = study of death) will provide definitive answers

I don’t know that we’ll ever have definitive answers, but I still wonder whether a physical issue triggered by a pre-existing condition, jet lag, fatigue, long flights and/or altitude changes may also have led to the behavioral changes noted by the graduate student and his wife.

Maybe he usually hiked challenging and rugged trails around the observatory in the early morning?

His clothing and other belongings being found in the area where his body was located, his keys being found on the observatory campus, and his being found shirtless may indicate he was disoriented and “shedding” possessions vs intentionally leaving items behind. Dehydration and exposure could have played a role. I don’t suspect any foul play or intent, but I also think there was more to this than his simply going for a hike.

I’m glad they’re doing a “thanatological examination” (good catch, @TLobo!) and will be interested if there are any further findings released.

 

[WingsOverTX]

Condolences to Tom’s family. He left an impressive legacy, and I hope that brings some comfort.



I don’t know that we’ll ever have definitive answers, but I still wonder whether a physical issue triggered by a pre-existing condition, jet lag, fatigue, long flights and/or altitude changes may also have led to the behavioral changes noted by the graduate student and his wife.

Maybe he usually hiked challenging and rugged trails around the observatory in the early morning?

His clothing and other belongings being found in the area where his body was located, his keys being found on the observatory campus, and his being found shirtless may indicate he was disoriented and “shedding” possessions vs intentionally leaving items behind. Dehydration and exposure could have played a role. I don’t suspect any foul play or intent, but I also think there was more to this than his simply going for a hike.

I’m glad they’re doing a “thanatological examination” (good catch, @TLobo!) and will be interested if there are any further findings released.

Three miles into the desert? I wonder if that was a norm for him? After all, the round trip would be six miles. I would definitely like the autopsy & any other clues to yield a better explanation.

It's not adding up for me. But with no knowledge of his usual recreational treks around La Silla, I'm not able to fully speculate. What happened to Tom that caused his disappearance & death?
 JMO

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I don’t know that we’ll ever have definitive answers, but I still wonder whether a physical issue triggered by a pre-existing condition, jet lag, fatigue, long flights and/or altitude changes may also have led to the behavioral changes noted by the graduate student and his wife.

I haven't heard that the wife noticed any changes in him.

 

[WingsOverTX]

I haven't heard that the wife noticed any changes in him.

"Me dijo algo super extraño": estudiante revela detalles de discusión con astrónomo desaparecido

T13 tuvo acceso al contenido de la declaración prestada por el tesista británico, en la que apuntó su versión de los hechos registrados las jornadas previas a la desaparición de Thomas Marsh.

www.t13.cl

Might include gramatical errors (by me)
"He told me something super weird": student reveals details of argument with missing astronomer
T13 had access to the contents of the statement made by the British thesis student, in which he gave his version of the events that took place in the days prior to Thomas Marsh's disappearance.
The student who accompanied Thomas Richard Marsh, the British astronomer who disappeared in mid-September from La Silla Observatory, affirmed that he had a discussion with the researcher the day before he dissapeared.

T13 had access to the contents of the statement given by the British student, in which he said that he met Marsh in August 2021 at the University of Warwick, where he was a professor of physics.

Although he has already left the country, the testimony appears as transcendental in the framework of the investigation, since the subject appears as a key witness.

In his account he states that during May 2022, the academic invited him to Chile to visit the observatories and work with the NTT telescopes, to which he accepted and ended up traveling to the country on September 12.

After arriving in Chile, and according to his account, he arrived in La Serena on the 14th of the same month and after moving to the La Silla Observatory they carried out the first works.

However, in the statement, the young student notes that after spending September 15 with Thomas, during the night he told him "something super strange", pointing out that he was not happy with what he was doing and reproaching him for not seeing any interest in astronomy, physics or science on his part.

"On the 15th (of September) I was practically all day with Thomas, we had breakfast, lunch and dinner, we also worked on the NTT telescope (.... ) I remember that Thursday at about 7:00 PM after dinner we went to our bedrooms where Thomas told me something very strange to me, saying loudly: 'I'M NOT CONTENT WITH WHAT YOU DO, YOU HAVE NO INTEREST IN ASTRONOMY, PHYSICS OR SCIENCE, THAT PISSES ME OFF, IT WAS BY CHANCE, LET'S CONTINUE TOMORROW'. All this was said to me by Thomas crying, locking himself in his bedroom, and I was terribly surprised", says the student in his statement.

And he adds: "I was upset by what he told me, since what I study is something very important for me, it is my life, astronomy, physics and science is my passion, then I went to the canteen because in my room I do not have wifi in order to call a friend in my country and tell him what the professor told me, to let off some steam".

According to what is indicated in the document, the astronomer and the student did not see each other again, since he did not find him during the morning even though they had a meeting with a telescope operator.

According to what he said, he looked for him constantly in the vicinity of the site, but without success. He did meet with the telescope operator, who also said he did not know details about Thomas Marsh's whereabouts, only that he had received an e-mail stating that he needed to rest and sleep.

According to the statement, one of the people working at the site had received an e-mail from the astronomer that was "very confusing and strange". The same person reportedly spoke to Thomas' wife, who also reportedly received a "confusing" message.

It was discussed earlier in the thread. See last paragraph BBM in this post. Some posts following this one mention the email to his wife concerned her.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Some posts following this one mention the email to his wife concerned her.

I did read about the emails, thanks

 

[realanastasia]

Trying to add any new information that has not been posted yet...

El Pais article

--body found amongst a cluster of rocks, undressed from the waist up


Infobae article

--body discovered lying on its side, undressed from the waist up and wearing the hiking pants and shoes like Prof Marsh would typically wear when he would go out on field work

Ugh, sounds like the poor professor experienced hypothermia, what with the paradoxical undressing.

 

[5W's]

La Higuera and Santa Maria are in the coastal area, which is far less dry than Atacama and allows some farming. La Silla, on the other way, is over a hundred kilometers away to the east from these spots, in the middle of the Atacama Desert, one of the driest spots on this planet. There is no farming around La Silla, because THERE CANNOT BE. THERE IS NO WATER.

What you are now doing is like assuming there are farms in the Death Valley, California, because there is a nice vegetation in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Believe me, there are no farms for miles and miles around La Silla.

No I read Santa Maria is 60 Kms away. If you want you can look for the original post. Its in La Higuera. Which is a large area. I didn't say it wa in La Silla I said it was in the area of L Higuera. So my assumptions still stand.

 

[5W's]

sorry but the LaSilla site has a lot of different sections and some of them refer back to the Chile area even though they are accessed through a different url- there are FAQs, info for visitors and info for journalist visitors and if you read them all, you get different bits of information. the blog on the site used to say "No visitors in October" because of the professor's disappearance but it now has no October 2022 entry. Not sure if they resumed in November. The visitor section now has the info about the "no visits" situation Weekend Visits to the La Silla Observatory

I don't know where I was discussing about visitors to La Silla in the original post if I remember correctly I wasn't referring to that at all I was referring only the location of La Silla as opposed to the other observatory which is Paranal which is in the same area but it is different apparently there are three in the area of of the desert.

European Southern Observatory (ESO)

European Southern Observatory (ESO), astrophysical organization founded in 1962. Its activities are financially supported and administered by a consortium of 14 European countries—Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands...

www.britannica.com

 

[5W's]

Here is a good arial view of the complex.

Weekend Visits to the La Silla Observatory

ESO is happy to welcome interested visitors at the La Silla Observatory. Guided tours for tourists and the general public are offered every Saturday except during July and August, due to the risk of snowstorms in winter time.

www.eso.org

Another view

Travel to ESO La Silla

ESO, European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere

www.eso.org

Santa Maria is about 60kms away from the observatory

Santa María, Chile - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Here are modern apartments and hotels in Santa Maria
Not saying Tom walked to the closest town/city but just a thought of the distance he would walk to that town. This is what I found maybe someone can find something similar even closer. I'm thinking along of the lines of modernity and everything associated with that.

Hotels La Silla Observatory, Chile

Hotels and Lodging in La Silla Observatory, Chile or near. Accommodation near La Silla Observatory, Chile. Special offers, discounts, breaks and holidays in the zone of La Silla Observatory, Chile

hotelandplace.com

I'm responding to my own self this Santa Maria is incorrect its in another area totally different so sorry for that my mistake I wish I knew how to take this Wikipedia reference off or rather delete it because it completely defeats the purpose I was trying to convey.

 

[5W's]

ESO - Important Facts

ESO is the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere. It operates the La Silla Paranal Observatory in Chile and has its headquarters in Garching, near Munich, Germany.

www.eso.org

I did find this safety protocals at La Silla. Tom would obviously be aware of this. Just a thought if an injury occurred he may or may not have been coherent.

 

[5W's]

La Higuera and Santa Maria are in the coastal area, which is far less dry than Atacama and allows some farming. La Silla, on the other way, is over a hundred kilometers away to the east from these spots, in the middle of the Atacama Desert, one of the driest spots on this planet. There is no farming around La Silla, because THERE CANNOT BE. THERE IS NO WATER.

What you are now doing is like assuming there are farms in the Death Valley, California, because there is a nice vegetation in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Believe me, there are no farms for miles and miles around La Silla.

Sorry we are talking about two different Santa Marias. In terms of Tom taking a route after leaving the Observatory was why I was looking at this angle. The Santa Maria I'm taling about is in the SW direction and its 36mins from La Silla. Altjough on the travel website they do say kms not miles. So I'm wondering if it is 36 mins as opposed to miles. I think mins makes more sense since they are catering to international tourists just to give them an idea of how long it takes to get to the Observatory.

Hotels La Silla Observatory, Chile

Hotels and Lodging in La Silla Observatory, Chile or near. Accommodation near La Silla Observatory, Chile. Special offers, discounts, breaks and holidays in the zone of La Silla Observatory, Chile

hotelandplace.com

Again as I said earlier the post I wantwd to delete is of the Santa Maria in another region. Valparaíso Region - Wikipedia
As Vega said there are sheepfolds in the area right? So if there residences such as the accommodations near La Silla then it also means that there xould be some type of animal herding in the area within those resedential areas so we don't know if its possible he was alive for a short while and became injured after becoming dioriented. I was hoping that the outcome woild be such that he was alive not knowing where he was and people simply thinking he was a drifter and so employed him. i mean there was an interview with his wife where she states "Just let us know where you are if possible" and that was rather recent that she said that. She had to base her statement on something so to just disregard her statement is kind of not looking at the whole picture. I mean I realize geography is not my forte but at least I tried.

 

[seasideForest]

Again as I said earlier the post I wantwd to delete is of the Santa Maria in another region.

If you Report your original post to a Mod saying why you want to delete, they can decide to. afaik that's the only way to get your post deleted after this amount of time.

 

[WiseOwl]

Incredibly sad news about Tom, I hope he passed away peacefully and did not suffer.

Thoughts are with his family at this sad time.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Remains are already in Santiago: the key expert opinions to clarify the causes of death of Thomas Marsh - The Gal Times

Spread the love On Saturday the body of astronomer Tom Marsh He was finally transferred to Santiago, where he will undergo a series of analyzes by professionals from the capital's Legal Medical...

thegaltimes.com

On Saturday the body of astronomer Tom Marsh He was finally transferred to Santiago, where he will undergo a series of analyzes by professionals from the capital's Legal Medical Service to try to find the true reasons for his death. With this, for example, the participation of other people could be determined or ruled out.

Coquimbo regional prosecutor, Adrián Vega , maintained that the possible cause of death of the British astronomer could be due to an accident while walking in the area.

One of the hypotheses, in fact, is related to the place where the body was found, since “it is a steep area and in order to go down from the hills you have to go through very rocky sectors. And indeed anyone can twist their ankle or fall”.

 

[WingsOverTX]

Interesting detail I haven't seen reported in any other source:

"Police believe Prof Marsh had an accident while out hiking. He had filled several water bottles at the facility’s restaurant the morning before he went missing.

The Atacama is the driest non-polar desert in the world filled with arid hills and ravines.

Police search-and-rescue teams required specialist ropes and climbing gear. They got lost several times on the mountainous terrain during their search."

Mystery surrounds desert death of British astrophysicist

Prof Thomas Marsh was last seen alive two days after arriving at a Chilean research facility on the outskirts of the Atacama Desert

www.telegraph.co.uk