Body of missing British scientist found topless in Atacama desert

QUESTIONS remain around the death of a British astrophysicist after his body was found topless in the Chilean desert 56 days after he was reported missing.

Prof Thomas Marsh, 60, who worked at the University of Warwick, was last seen on Sept 16, two days after arriving at a research facility on the outskirts of the Atacama desert.

Following a search, the father-oftwo’s body was found lying on its side on a steep, rocky slope almost two miles from his accommodation at the European Southern Observatory in La Silla.

Prof Marsh was wearing shorts and walking shoes but was topless, according to a police source.

His body will go to the capital, Santiago, for a post mortem to take place. It has not been formally identified.

Police believe Prof Marsh had an accident while he was 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 teams required specialist ropes and climbing gear. They became lost several times on the mountainous terrain during their search.

Last month, Prof Marsh’s family, who flew out to Chile out to look for the academic, pleaded for help in their search.

Prof Marsh’s wife, Felicity, said he had “left delighted to return to one of the best observatories in the world, where he has had the honour of working and teaching many times.”

It comes amid reports that Prof Marsh, from Rugby, had argued with the 23-year-old male PHD student who had accompanied him to South America the night before he went missing.

The student, who is now back in the UK, is not a suspect.