British professor, 61, missing for nearly two weeks in Chile ‘had argued with his 23-year-old PHD student’ before vanishing from remote mountain observatory
- Thomas Richard Marsh, 61, was last seen on September 16 near remote astronomical observatory La Silla outskirts of the Atacama Desert in Chile
- He allegedly argued with a 23-year-old PhD student before he went missing
- There is no suggestion at this stage the student played any role in disappearance
A British professor who has been missing for nearly two weeks in Chile had allegedly argued with his 23-year-old PhD student before he vanished.
Thomas Richard Marsh, a 61-year-old astrophysicist at University of Warwick, was last seen on September 16 near the remote astronomical observatory La Silla on the outskirts of the Atacama Desert where he was working.
Marsh travelled with an unnamed student to observe the night skies from the observatory’s powerful telescopes as part of a work trip.
The 23-year-old student was described locally at the weekend as a ‘key piece’ of an ongoing investigation into the astronomer’s whereabouts, as soldiers and police scour the desert in search for Marsh.
Police confirmed around the same time the 23-year-old had been questioned by police seeking answers to 61-year-old Mr Marsh’s whereabouts.
There is no suggestion at this stage the student, who travelled to Chile with the missing professor from the UK via France and Argentina, played any role in his disappearance.
Regional prosecutor Adrian Vega, who has insisted investigators are keeping an open mind on Mr Marsh’s disappearance, insisted overnight he was free to return to the UK.
Thomas Richard Marsh, a 61-year-old astrophysicist at University of Warwick, was last seen on September 16 near the remote astronomical observatory La Silla on the outskirts of the Atacama Desert where he was working
He told Chilean daily El Dia: ‘There’s no way we can impede the free travel of a person or prevent him from leaving the country if that person is not accused of anything. The student is not accused of anything.’
The same newspaper, citing unidentified sources, claimed there had been a row between Mr Marsh and his pupil, saying: ‘This is something the authorities are working with as well.
‘That aspect of things is something that has been incorporated into the lines of investigation prosecutors are conducting.’
It offered no more detail in an overnight report about when or why the alleged row occurred.
Mr Vega, signalling a ground and air search for Mr Marsh on the basis he got lost or was injured during a walk in the mountainous terrain near the observatory, added: ‘We hope in the next few days to be able to advance across the area until we have to rule out the idea Mr Marsh disappeared for a hike.’
He also told local press: ‘There is no evidence which leads us to think he is not alive.
‘We continue to look for a person who is alive and lost with all the means we have at our disposal, so we can give his family peace of mind. We are in permanent contact with them.’
Drones and sniffer dogs are being used in the hunt for Mr Marsh around the observatory.
Observatory staff and visitors have also been questioned as part of a parallel but separate probe by Chile’s PDI police.
La Silla Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Chile with three telescopes built and operated by the European Southern Observatory
Mr Marsh’s clothes and other belongings were found in his room after he was reported missing on September 16.
His PHD student raised the alarm after he didn’t show up to begin observations at the observatory as arranged following a night’s sleep two days after their arrival in Chile on September 14.
It emerged at the weekend Mr Marsh’s room keys had been found between his accommodation and the telescope, although police have not released any further details on exactly where they were located.
Colleague Odette Toloza, currently working in Germany, described Mr Marsh as ‘the best in his field’ in an interview after he vanished.
Telling a Chilean TV channel how she found about the disappearance, she said: ‘Tom has been to La Silla several times as part of his work and knows the area very well.
‘He was due to carry out astronomical observations over four nights this time round and stay till Tuesday or Wednesday of this week.
‘The importance to him of La Silla is the instrument speed there and how quickly they can take images.
‘Every time he goes he uses the opportunity to take his students and this time he went with a first-year postgraduate student.
‘There’s always a routine and a protocol and when you arrive at the observatory you always know when you have to go and calibrate instruments.
‘The student sent an email out asking relevant people if they’d seen Tom because they had to meet up to begin observations and he hadn’t turned up.
‘That’s when we realised something must have happened. The last time the student had seen Tom was the night before when they went to bed.
‘They were due to see each the following day to eat together and Tom didn’t show.’
Mr Marsh was last seen around 6am last Friday at the La Silla Observatory in Chile and all his clothes and other personal belongings including his passport are said to have remained untouched in a nearby rented room
She added: ‘I’m not clear on all the details but I know from the student that he asked after him at the observatory and no one was able to help.
‘He thought initially he might be resting because they’d had a long journey from England and wasn’t too concerned about the fact he’d hadn’t showed for lunch.
‘But what he did have clear is that they had to meet up later to carry out observations together and he sent out the email when Tom didn’t appear.
‘I met this student two weeks ago during a visit to the University of Warwick.
‘As colleagues we’ve decided not to pressure him. He’s a PHD student, a young person. You can’t imagine being involved in a situation like this, of having to report someone missing and give a statement, especially about someone who is your mentor.
‘The first thing that comes to mind when myself and colleagues speculate on what might have happened is a walk.
‘The observatory has very nice walking areas around it and is a great place to see sunrise and sun fall from.
‘Our first conclusions were that he went off for a walk and didn’t return but it’s madness to think that someone can disappear just like that and no one knows anything.’
Mr Marsh’s family including his artist daughter Tabatha have made missing appeals online.
They said in an initial statement after he went missing: ‘We are deeply concerned for Tom and miss him, and would ask anyone who may any have information on his whereabouts to please help.’
La Silla Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Chile with three telescopes built and operated by the European Southern Observatory, an intergovernmental research organisation made up of 16 member states for ground-based astronomy.
The observatory is one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. It is located around 95 miles northeast of the city of Serena at the outskirts of the Atacama Desert, one of the driest and remotest places in the world.
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