The dismembered body of a scientist from the Royal Society of Biologists has been found stuffed inside a suitcase in Colombia.

The remains of Alessandro Coatti, 42, were discovered by police dumped in a stream in the coastal city of Santa Marta.

The city’s authorities have offered a £10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of his killers.

Police are believed to have recovered his head, arms and legs but are still searching for his torso.

Detectives were able to identify Coatti from a bracelet linking him to a hostel in the city’s historical centre where he had been staying.

Coatti, known as Ale to friends, had worked for the Royal Society of Biologists (RSB) for eight years as a senior policy officer.

The Italian national had left the RSB at the end of last year to volunteer in Ecuador and travel through South America. He had arrived on April 3 and disappeared the following day.

A worker from the hostel said Coatti had enquired about routes into the mountainous jungle region of Minca, approximately 20 kilometres away from the city, so he could study species in the region.

His friends at the hostel raised the alarm when he failed to return on Friday. A day later, his partially dismembered body was found.

‘No suspicious connections’

Col Jaime Ríos Puerto, the commander of the Santa Marta Metropolitan Police, confirmed Coatti had no criminal record and was not the subject of any threats.

“He was a visitor, a scientist, with no suspicious connections,” the officer told the El Tiempo newspaper.

Carlos Pinedo Cuello, Santa Maria’s mayor, 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 fifty 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.”

A spokesman for 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.

“He left the RSB at the end of 2024 to volunteer in Ecuador and travel in South America,” they said. “We are all in shock. Ale 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.”