Inquest hears astrophysicist may have been poisoned

ABC News
Dec. 15, 2006

New Zealand police believe an Australian astrophysicist who died mysteriously while working at the South Pole five years ago might have been deliberately poisoned.

A coroner's inquest has heard the investigations have been frustrated by a lack of cooperation from the US agency that operated the base.

Rodney David Marks died in May 2000 from methanol poisoning while working on a Smithsonian astrophysical project at the US base at the South Pole.

New Zealand police commenced an investigation into the case four years ago, but have been unable to get cooperation from the necessary US authorities.

Detective Senior Sergeant Grant Wormald told the coroner there was still no definitive evidence as to how the killer dose of methanol came to be in Dr Marks's body.

He thought it was most unlikely the 32-year-old had ingested it himself, opening up the possibility that someone had deliberately put it into his food or drink.

The coronial inquest has been adjourned.