London scientist dismembered in Colombia was lured into trap through Grindr
A scientist found dismembered in Colombia was the victim of a honeytrap through the gay dating app Grindr, police believe.
The mutilated remains of Alessandro Coatti, a 38-year-old Italian who worked in London, were discovered scattered across the coastal city of Santa Marta on April 6, two days after he was reported missing.
Investigators had originally suspected the molecular biologist may have been killed in a case of mistaken identity between warring drug clans.
Colombian police, however, now believe that Coatti, a tourist with no links to organised crime, was the victim of a gang targeting foreigners looking for dates online.
The Italian was reportedly lured to an abandoned house in the San José del Pando neighbourhood after messaging someone over Grindr, a popular dating app designed for LGBT people.
The gang's plan had been to incapacitate Coatti using a drug colloquially known as 'Devil's Breath' (scopolamine) and then rob him, according to sources first reported in El Tiempo, a Colombian newspaper.
Scopolamine is a drug that can be used to treat motion sickness but in larger doses, it can disorient and incapacitate users, and even paralyse victims.
What happened remains unclear but post-mortem examinations concluded that Coatti was killed by blunt-force trauma.
The gang is said to have dismembered his body after his death to trick investigators into believing it was a gangland-style hit as a warning message to rivals.
At least four people, including a woman, were allegedly involved in the scheme and had been identified by authorities, El Tiempo reported.
A group of children stumbled across a suitcase on the side of the road leading to the Sierra Nevada football stadium containing Coatti's severed head and arms.
His mutilated torso was discovered by police in a bag after locals in the Minuto de Dios neighbourhood reported a rotting smell coming from a stretch of the Manzanares river.
Other remains of Coatti are still missing.
Police have carried out a string of raids in Santa Marta and have seized three mobile phones in connection with the case.
The city authorities have offered a £10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of his killers.
Coatti, known as Ale to friends, had worked for the Royal Society of Biology (RSB) for eight years as a senior policy officer.
The Italian, originally from Ferrara in northern Emilia-Romagna, had emigrated to London and left the RSB at the end of last year to volunteer in Ecuador and travel through South America.
He arrived in Santa Marta on April 3 and disappeared the following day.
Col Jaime Ríos Puerto, the commander of the Santa Marta police, confirmed Coatti had no criminal record and was not the subject of any threats.
Sandra Lovato, Coatti's mother, shared that the last message she ever received from her son was on Mother's Day, five days before he went missing.
'Hi Mum, I want to come back. I love you, so much,' it read.
Ms Lovato has shared several tributes to her son on Facebook, including highlighting his work in teaching children English in Ecuador.
'I miss you so much, I can't breathe. I miss you, I miss you so much,' she wrote in another post.
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Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
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Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Today in History: June 7, James Byrd Jr. killed in hate crime
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Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Photos show alleged crypto kidnapping victim 'having a good time' at Soho townhouse
The Brief Newly obtained photos show alleged Italian kidnapping victim Michael Carturan at the posh Soho townhouse of accused torturers John Woeltz and William Duplessie. One photo shows him shirtless and smiling with a neck collar attached to a leash, pulled by a woman. Another video shows him having sex with a woman. Carturan reported escaping on May 23, alleging threats and torture for his Bitcoin password; suspects face charges including kidnapping and assault. NEW YORK - Photos obtained by TMZ reveal a wild scene inside the Soho townhouse where Italian crypto investor Michael Carturan was allegedly tortured and held captive by John Woeltz and William Duplessie. What we know TMZ's photos depict Carturan, whose face is blurred, shirtless and smiling with a neck collar attached to a leash, pulled by a woman. The images, captured between May 11 and May 13, show multiple people in the room, though it's unclear if Woeltz or Duplessie are present. A video, not shown in this report, appears to show Carturan having sex with a woman. What they're saying Charles Latibeaudiere, executive producer at TMZ, said these photos show this case in a new light. "It definitely paints a much different picture from what police and prosecutors have said went down in that Soho townhouse. The question is: Did it change? So what we've seen in these photos that we've obtained, Michael the Italian investor seems to be enjoying himself with the women who are there," Latibeaudiere said. Former NYPD detective Michael Alcazar commented that the photos and video suggest Carturan was a willing participant, appearing to enjoy himself. "The photos and video is good for the perpetrators," Alcazar told FOX 5 NY, "It seems like he was a willing participant. It sure looked like he was having a good time." Alcazar noted that police will identify and question everyone in the videos and photos to verify the events, including checking DNA evidence and fingerprints. The backstory Carturan escaped on May 23, reporting to police that the suspects used a saw to cut his leg and threatened him for his Bitcoin password. Prosecutors say Duplessie and Woeltz lured the victim to the posh townhouse on May 6 by threatening to kill his family. For 17 days, the two investors tormented him with electrical wires, forced him to smoke from a crack pipe and at one point dangled him from a staircase five stories high, prosecutors allege. Duplessie and Woelyz face several changes, including kidnapping and assault. The Source This article uses reporting from TMZ, the Associated Press and background from former NYPD detective Michael Alcazar.
