One year after the astronomer's death: What is the status of the Thomas Marsh case?
The regional prosecutor, Adrián Vega, explained that the case is
still formally ongoing, as all the details that may be revealed by the thanatological and entomological examinations must be reviewed.
This 15 September marked the one-year anniversary of the disappearance of British astronomer Thomas Marsh, 61, who was missing for 55 days after arriving at the La Silla observatory, owned by the international consortium European Southern Observatory (ESO).
The astrophysicist had landed in Chile on 14 September 2022
in the company of a first-year PhD student from the University of Warwick (England), who was the last person to see him alive.
His disappearance prompted an extensive search and rescue effort, which bore fruit almost
two months later.
In fact, Marsh's body was found in a terrain that was difficult to access, to which only specialised personnel from the Gope de Carabineros could gain access.
According to those involved in the search, one of the strategies that led to the discovery of the scientist's whereabouts was to
repeatedly revisit those sectors that were considered key to the search, allowing for a more thorough knowledge of the area and a more specific trail.
The point where the body was found,
in fact, was within the so-called "site of interest" delimited by the investigation of the Coquimbo Regional Prosecutor's Office, based on the evidence found in the areas during the eight weeks in which the work was extended.
In this regard, the Coquimbo regional prosecutor, Adrián Vega, indicated that,
for 55 days, the area of La Silla was searched by quadrants, with the hypothesis of a possible accident.
"He was hiking and would have taken unusual routes. Once the body had been found, after almost two months,
the necessary forensic, thanatological (sic), chemical and entomological tests were carried out to establish what had happened," said the prosecutor.
In this sense,
Vega is emphatic in pointing out that the involvement of third parties has been ruled out, with the most likely hypothesis of the cause of death being a fall.
"It is not that he went astray and died of starvation and cold,
it was a fall because it is a steep area," said the lawyer.
In this sense, Vega affirmed that all the hypotheses were studied and, for the same reason, the Homicide Brigade, the Human Search Brigade, the Gope and the Army worked in the search in case it had been a mountain accident.
"The task forces were formed according to the hypotheses. Homicide
worked on the (thesis) of a disappearance by a third party or an attempt on the astronomer's life. In addition, the Search for Persons analysed the possibility of an accident," said the prosecutor.
The prosecutor also stated that all reports were investigated at the time.
"Everything that arrived was processed and did not provide precise information until the discovery of the Gope in November," he said.
In this regard, the regional prosecutor clarified that the case for the death of the astronomer
has not been closed, since it is being studied by the Public Prosecutor's Office and the results will be communicated to Marsh's family.
"The case appears to be formally ongoing, but to determine when it is closed we have to communicate the details to the family.
But we have to see that there is no need for further action that can be established in this analysis that is being done," he said.
However, the prosecutor clarified that in cases where the search is very extensive,
as in the case of this investigation, all the details must be analysed and all the necessary steps must be taken.
"We have to see if there are
any other steps that can be taken to refine the autopsy or the thanatological and entomological examination," said the regional prosecutor.
Vega clarified that, in any case, after finding him and performing the autopsy, Thomas Marsh's body
was sent to England three months later, so that his family could bury him.
According to El Día, the astronomer's disappearance led the authorities at La Silla observatory
to double their protocols, so that now a scientist or person on the premises must note his departure, indicating the destination and how long it will take. The aim is to ensure that this type of event does not happen again.