Found Deceased Chile - Tom Marsh 60, Uk National, University Professor missing from a research trip, 16 September 2022

[WingsOverTX]

"Tenemos signos de sectores donde pudo haber caminado…": Fiscal sobre Tom Marsh

El Fiscal Regional, Adrián Vega, afirmó que “aún podemos encontrar a una persona viva, por lo tanto la moral está bien alta”.

www.diarioeldia.cl

"We have signs of areas where he may have walked...": Prosecutor on Tom Marsh
Regional Prosecutor, Adrián Vega, affirmed that "we can still find him alive, therefore, spirits are high".
"[...] On this point, he affirmed that "we have certain signs and indications of areas in which he could have walked (...) the prediction of the police is that we can still find him alive".

MOO starts now:
Whew. Almost at the three week mark. Like @annpats said, that IS a long time, considering he left with almost nothing but his clothes, there's nothing around and nights can go as cold as -12°C (10°F). Days are not so easy either, 25°C (77°F) with no sun protection and no water can also be dangerous.
Some news outlet have shown some drone / aerial pics of La Silla, and just from the looks of it, it cannot be safe to go around there. The mountains are quite high.
Just hoping he's safe, but I think it's time to accept all the possible outcomes of this.
MOO

View attachment 370754View attachment 370756

Why would he walk into the desert? I really can't come up with any good reason because 1) He had been there before & knew the dangers & 2) He was on a research mission, not a recreational visit.

Where the heck did they just recently find footprints? If they really believe he is alive in that terrain, there must be something they know about his plans or resources he carried with him that hasn't been shared publicly.

I wonder if anyone has ever disappeared at La Silla before & what the outcome was. Has there ever been a serious crime at that site?

Other than his daughter, has any family spoken out?

 

[McFluff]

"Tenemos signos de sectores donde pudo haber caminado…": Fiscal sobre Tom Marsh

El Fiscal Regional, Adrián Vega, afirmó que “aún podemos encontrar a una persona viva, por lo tanto la moral está bien alta”.

www.diarioeldia.cl

"We have signs of areas where he may have walked...": Prosecutor on Tom Marsh
Regional Prosecutor, Adrián Vega, affirmed that "we can still find him alive, therefore, spirits are high".
"[...] On this point, he affirmed that "we have certain signs and indications of areas in which he could have walked (...) the prediction of the police is that we can still find him alive".

MOO starts now:
Whew. Almost at the three week mark. Like @annpats said, that IS a long time, considering he left with almost nothing but his clothes, there's nothing around and nights can go as cold as -12°C (10°F). Days are not so easy either, 25°C (77°F) with no sun protection and no water can also be dangerous.
Some news outlet have shown some drone / aerial pics of La Silla, and just from the looks of it, it cannot be safe to go around there. The mountains are quite high.
Just hoping he's safe, but I think it's time to accept all the possible outcomes of this.
MOO

View attachment 370754View attachment 370756

Thankyou so much for your input!

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Is it plausible he went for a walk and just got lost and turned around?

Or since he's said to know the area well, perhaps he had a medical episode while walking.

Perhaps he set his keys down where he could retrieve them later when he returned from his walk, but he was unable to make it back. (Maybe the keys were uncomfortable or bulky in his pocket?)

Any other possibilities besides
- he left in a vehicle (whether by choice or not)
- he is still hidden within the complex (I don't believe so)?

 

[StillDiggin]

Search continues for Warwick University professor missing in Chile

The search for Warwick University's Tom Marsh continues more than two weeks after his disappearance.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[StillDiggin]

Mystery after Brit professor goes missing in Chile as search enters third week

Prof Tom Marsh, 60, an astrophysicist at the University of Warwick, went missing on September 16, in the Chilean desert and local police are continuing to search paths he may have taken

www.mirror.co.uk

 

[WingsOverTX]

Mystery after Brit professor goes missing in Chile as search enters third week

Prof Tom Marsh, 60, an astrophysicist at the University of Warwick, went missing on September 16, in the Chilean desert and local police are continuing to search paths he may have taken

www.mirror.co.uk

From the article:
Police have also been following advice from Prof Marsh’s family on trails he would like to take, said Prof Ennew.

“They are trying to understand the places that he knew, the places he would like to walk. They know he was an experienced walker who could cover quite significant distances, so they are being very much guided by the family,” she told the BBC.

She also said that the big benefit of local search teams is that they “understand the terrain” and are also accustomed to “working at altitude”.

Police have been using dogs, drones and planes with thermal imaging.

* * * * * * * * * * * *
Finally, it is established that he did hike/walk in the nearby desert for recreation when visiting this remote observatory for research.

If he is lost in that landscape willingly or unwillingly for now 3 weeks, the outcome is unlikely to be positive.

So where was he & exactly what was he doing that caused him to leave or lose his keys?

I hope Chilean LE find him soon. If a crime is discovered, I hope they can gather enough evidence to convict the perp.

Optimism must be tempered with the obstacles inherent in that remote location both onsite & offsite.

Again I am curious about the reported argument with the 23 yo grad student he was traveling with.

How easy is it to leave La Silla by car without detection? Exactly who saw the professor last & what time? Did he have any personal problems or struggles? So far, the only family member reaching out appears to be Tom's daughter. Is there a spouse or other children?

#FindTomMarsh

 

[WiseOwl]

From the article:
Police have also been following advice from Prof Marsh’s family on trails he would like to take, said Prof Ennew.

“They are trying to understand the places that he knew, the places he would like to walk. They know he was an experienced walker who could cover quite significant distances, so they are being very much guided by the family,” she told the BBC.

She also said that the big benefit of local search teams is that they “understand the terrain” and are also accustomed to “working at altitude”.

Police have been using dogs, drones and planes with thermal imaging.

* * * * * * * * * * * *
Finally, it is established that he did hike/walk in the nearby desert for recreation when visiting this remote observatory for research.

If he is lost in that landscape willingly or unwillingly for now 3 weeks, the outcome is unlikely to be positive.

So where was he & exactly what was he doing that caused him to leave or lose his keys?

I hope Chilean LE find him soon. If a crime is discovered, I hope they can gather enough evidence to convict the perp.

Optimism must be tempered with the obstacles inherent in that remote location both onsite & offsite.

Again I am curious about the reported argument with the 23 yo grad student he was traveling with.

How easy is it to leave La Silla by car without detection? Exactly who saw the professor last & what time? Did he have any personal problems or struggles? So far, the only family member reaching out appears to be Tom's daughter. Is there a spouse or other children?

#FindTomMarsh

I believe it was the student who last saw Tom alive the night before he went missing, just before he went to bed.

I don't think there have been any reported sightings since then.

The keys were found at an unspecified place between Tom's accomodation and the Observatory where he was working, so does this suggest something might have happened to him while he was on his way to work? What time of a morning did he get up/go to the Observatory?

 

[WingsOverTX]

I believe it was the student who last saw Tom alive the night before he went missing, just before he went to bed.

I don't think there have been any reported sightings since then.

The keys were found at an unspecified place between Tom's accomodation and the Observatory where he was working, so does this suggest something might have happened to him while he was on his way to work? What time of a morning did he get up/go to the Observatory?

The 16th was the day their nighttime observing work was to start. He never showed up to begin work & had missed breakfast, I think, and definitely was a no-show for lunch. Odd. Not being reported "missing" until that evening when he was to start his observatory work is a big window of unknowns. But somebody knows something.

Was anything in particular troubling Tom? Personal? Work-related? Any health concerns?

Such a remote place to disappear for whatever reason. How do they know the tracks found are Tom's?

 

[WiseOwl]

What about any CCTV footage from the site? For such an important Observatory I would imagine there would be a lot of security cameras around the site, are there no reports of Tom being seen on any of these at all?

 

[Kaykedi]

From the article:
Police have also been following advice from Prof Marsh’s family on trails he would like to take, said Prof Ennew.

“They are trying to understand the places that he knew, the places he would like to walk. They know he was an experienced walker who could cover quite significant distances, so they are being very much guided by the family,” she told the BBC.

She also said that the big benefit of local search teams is that they “understand the terrain” and are also accustomed to “working at altitude”.

Police have been using dogs, drones and planes with thermal imaging.

* * * * * * * * * * * *
Finally, it is established that he did hike/walk in the nearby desert for recreation when visiting this remote observatory for research.

If he is lost in that landscape willingly or unwillingly for now 3 weeks, the outcome is unlikely to be positive.

So where was he & exactly what was he doing that caused him to leave or lose his keys?

I hope Chilean LE find him soon. If a crime is discovered, I hope they can gather enough evidence to convict the perp.

Optimism must be tempered with the obstacles inherent in that remote location both onsite & offsite.

Again I am curious about the reported argument with the 23 yo grad student he was traveling with.

How easy is it to leave La Silla by car without detection? Exactly who saw the professor last & what time? Did he have any personal problems or struggles? So far, the only family member reaching out appears to be Tom's daughter. Is there a spouse or other children?

#FindTomMarsh

He has a wife Felicity

 

[annpats]

These PhD studies, and especially field trips to Chile, would be hugely expensive for the universities, and the places to go are highly competitive, both for the academic staff and the PhD students.

I'm hoping the argument was just a minor disagreement, and the professor went to clear his head and look at the night sky on a walk and had an accident/incident.

My only curiosity would be if he didn't show for breakfast, fine. But if he wasn't seen by mid-morning and certainly not by lunch, then the alarm should have been raised then. Why wait until evening?

Perhaps the student didn't want to bother the professor after the argument and could've also been busy with his own studies??

If there was an argument, I'm sure it would've been heard by other people living/working/studying at the lodging house there.

Perhaps the argument was minor and not really a big thing, but at least the student mentioned it. That's good.

 

[WiseOwl]

An update from the University of Warwick:

A community update regarding Professor Tom Marsh

A community update regarding Professor Tom Marsh

warwick.ac.uk

 

[WingsOverTX]

An update from the University of Warwick:

A community update regarding Professor Tom Marsh

A community update regarding Professor Tom Marsh

warwick.ac.uk

That statement is very positive & confident.

But Tom is unlikely to be found safe unless he left the area by car, IMO.

I believe his body could be concealed somewhere on that campus. It has happened before in other cases: electrical rooms, water tanks, & even ceilings have been used to hide crime victims. It appears someone would have had all night to hide the body if they hurt him. I wonder how many people were in the dormitory & other buildings. Is there a night security patrol?

Time is not on the side of finding him alive if he ventured into the desert and that landscape probably presents many search difficulties because sand shifts and covers things.

Perhaps visitors to this remote place should be required to carry locator beacons if they go into out into the desert. Being able to seek help right away is critical to saving a life.

JMO

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Is it possible that he had an accident at the Observatory and has not been found.
Ie caught up, and/or crushed by machinery. Or ended up trapped in a room that he couldn't get out of.

 

[ignacio]

Reconstruyen posible caminata de Tom Marsh: Develamos el lugar que acapara rastreo

Funcionarios de Carabineros, PDI y el Ejército continúan desplegados para encontrar al astrofísico desaparecido en terrenos del Observatorio La Silla. Según fuentes de El Día, evidencias halladas permitirían avanzar en la reconstrucción de una caminata que el investigador habría hecho por senderos

www.diarioeldia.cl

Tom Marsh's possible hike reconstructed: We unveil the place that has been tracked.
Officials from Carabineros, PDI and the Army continue to be deployed to find the missing astrophysicist on the grounds of La Silla Observatory. According to El Día's sources, evidence found would allow to advance in the reconstruction of a walk that the researcher would have made through trails.

[...] Regarding evidence, the regional prosecutor replied to questions from the press that it is "secret of investigation" and added that "everything that has been collected at the site has been scientifically analyzed" to "guide" the search.

According to our sources, the work is concentrated in the vicinity of Cerro La Silla, where, from a paved road, Marsh could have descended and traveled through ravines and trails in the same terrain. (See photograph).

EVIDENCE
Belongings: The first evidence found were Tom Marsh's belongings in the room where he was staying. Among them his passport.

The keys: The route from the hotel to the observatory was determined where his keys were found, as revealed by El Día.

A companion: The presence of a companion was confirmed, a student who came to Chile with Marsh and who would have had a discussion with the astronomer, according to El Día's sources.

Reconstructing the path: In the reconstruction of his path to the telescope, indications were found that he may have taken a path through Cerro La Silla.

MOO:
That does not look like a safe hiking spot. I'm praying he's found soon, but I don't think he'll be found safe, sadly.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Maybe he had a medical emergency, like a stroke, when he was out walking, and during it he dropped his keys.
Then he may have stumbled and fallen somewhere, out of clear sight.

 

[ignacio]

What about any CCTV footage from the site? For such an important Observatory I would imagine there would be a lot of security cameras around the site, are there no reports of Tom being seen on any of these at all?

News reports have mentioned CCTV footage, but for now evidence is treated very secretly since it's an ongoing case. Up until now all details of evidence known to public has been leaked by Diario El Dia.
MOO

 

[WingsOverTX]

Reconstruyen posible caminata de Tom Marsh: Develamos el lugar que acapara rastreo

Funcionarios de Carabineros, PDI y el Ejército continúan desplegados para encontrar al astrofísico desaparecido en terrenos del Observatorio La Silla. Según fuentes de El Día, evidencias halladas permitirían avanzar en la reconstrucción de una caminata que el investigador habría hecho por senderos

www.diarioeldia.cl

Tom Marsh's possible hike reconstructed: We unveil the place that has been tracked.
Officials from Carabineros, PDI and the Army continue to be deployed to find the missing astrophysicist on the grounds of La Silla Observatory. According to El Día's sources, evidence found would allow to advance in the reconstruction of a walk that the researcher would have made through trails.

[...] Regarding evidence, the regional prosecutor replied to questions from the press that it is "secret of investigation" and added that "everything that has been collected at the site has been scientifically analyzed" to "guide" the search.

According to our sources, the work is concentrated in the vicinity of Cerro La Silla, where, from a paved road, Marsh could have descended and traveled through ravines and trails in the same terrain. (See photograph).
View attachment 371131

EVIDENCE
Belongings: The first evidence found were Tom Marsh's belongings in the room where he was staying. Among them his passport.

The keys: The route from the hotel to the observatory was determined where his keys were found, as revealed by El Día.

A companion: The presence of a companion was confirmed, a student who came to Chile with Marsh and who would have had a discussion with the astronomer, according to El Día's sources.

Reconstructing the path: In the reconstruction of his path to the telescope, indications were found that he may have taken a path through Cerro La Silla.

MOO:
That does not look like a safe hiking spot. I'm praying he's found soon, but I don't think he'll be found safe, sadly.

What is Cerro La Silla? A particular telescope, a landmark, a trail, a mountain or what? What facility at the complex is it closest to? How far from his dormitory?

Also, what day & time did he go hiking, if known. Did he tell anyone of his plans?

Thanks!

 

[WiseOwl]

What is Cerro La Silla? A particular telescope, a landmark, a trail, a mountain or what? What facility at the complex is it closest to? How far from his dormitory?

Also, what day & time did he go hiking, if known. Did he tell anyone of his plans?

Thanks!

I was going to ask the same thing, how far was it from Tom's accomodation to the telescope?

Also, if he was heading towards the telscope when he went missing, why was he alone? Why didn't the student go with him?

 

[WingsOverTX]

Chile is an astronomer’s paradise. The country is justly famous for its lush valleys and snowcapped volcanoes, but its most striking scenery may be overhead. It is home to some of the finest places on Earth to enjoy the beauty of the starry sky. If there’s one country in the world that really deserves stellar status, it’s Chile.

An Astronomer's Paradise, Chile May Be the Best Place on Earth to Enjoy a Starry Sky

Chile's northern coast offers an ideal star-gazing environment with its lack of precipitation, clear skies and low-to-zero light pollution

www.smithsonianmag.com

La Silla is mentioned 3 times in this article, including:
If you’re star trekking in Chile, it’s good to know that most professional observatories are open for tourists one day each week, usually on Saturdays. Check out their schedules in advance to prevent disappointment—the drive from La Serena to La Silla may take almost two hours, and the curvy mountain roads can be treacherous.

BBM