London scientist dismembered in Colombia killing was lured to his death in ‘Grindr honeytrap,’ cops fear
A London-based scientist whose dismembered body was found scattered across a Colombian city is thought to have been lured to his horrific death through Grindr - a dating app for homosexual men.
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The body of Alessandro Coatti, 38, a London-based Italian scientist, was found across various locations in the coastal city of Santa Marta on April 6.
His torso was found miles away from his head, hands, legs and feet. A group of children discovered a suitcase on the side of the road containing his severed head and arms.
The shocking discovery came two days after he was reported missing in the South American country.
Several theories have emerged as to how the former Royal Society of Biology (RSB) scientist was murdered.
Police have previously speculated that it may have been a case of mistaken identity between rival cartels. It might also have been a kidnapping carried out by organ traffickers, cops previously suspected.
Now, the latest theory to emerge involves dating app Grinder - which a gang reportedly uses to target foreign men seeking dates abroad.
Mr Coatti may have been lured to an abandoned house after messaging someone on the app, sources told local newspaper El Tiempo.
The gang may have been plotting to drug the Italian victim with scopolamine, a drug dubbed Devil's Breath capable of knocking people out in higher doses.
Police have reportedly identified four people so far, including a woman, thought to have been involved in the plan.
Detectives believe he may have been lured to a local club on April 4 before vanishing.
But the cops are still looking at CCTV and phone records to determine whether or not he ever arrived.
Post-mortem examinations found that Coatti was killed by blunt-force trauma.
A £10,000 reward is being offered by city authorities for information leading to the arrest of Mr Coatti's murderers.
Dozens of similar murders have taken place in the region where his body was discovered in the last year alone.
His mother, Sandra Lovato, has shared that the last message her son sent her, which was on Mother’s Day.
He wrote, five days before his disappearance: “Hi Mum, I want to come back. I love you, so much."
His family and loved ones have issued heartbreaking tributes following his traumatic death.
Ms Lovato wrote in one social media post: “I miss you so much, I can’t breathe. I miss you, I miss you so much,” she wrote in another post."
Former colleagues at University College London, where he completed his Master's degree, described him as “funny, warm and intelligent”.