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Antarctica is understood for being one of many harshest environments on the planet. It is usually one of the vital remoted. If the worst occurs, assist is commonly too far-off—and the results could be lethal. Sadly, this was the case for Rodney Marks, an astrophysicist whose sudden loss of life in 2000 warranted a murder investigation.
It was the primary suspected homicide ever to happen on the southernmost tip of the earth, however it wasn’t the primary disturbing occasion to happen there. Since man first explored Antarctica’s mysterious land and waters, misery, concern, and insanity have plagued them. An extended-standing sample of paranoia and violence led many to surprise, was Rodney Marks one other unlucky sufferer of this unusual phenomenon? Or was it one thing else solely?
To at the present time, nobody can say for certain. See what you make of this thriller with ten info about Rodney Marks’s loss of life on the world’s most unforgiving continent.
Associated: Ten Ghost Stories Below the Antarctic Circle
10 The First Expedition to the Finish of the Earth
Antarctica’s first-ever scientific exploration expedition started on August 16, 1897, when a three-mast whaleship known as the Belgica set sail for its largely uncharted waters. The ship grew to become caught in ice seven months later, condemning the crew to be the primary people to endure winter within the Antarctic. Over time, the lads’s minds and our bodies started to interrupt down. Dr. Frederick Prepare dinner, the ship’s surgeon, described the expertise:
“The long… night with its potential capacity for tragedy makes a madhouse of every polar camp. Here, men love and hate each other in a passion which defies description. Murder, suicide, starvation, insanity, icy death, and all the acts of the devil become regular mental pictures.”
Months later, the lads’s anguish escalated into madness, they usually discovered there was much more to fret about than the weather. One of many sailors suffered a hysterical disaster that gave strategy to psychosis, ultimately revealing a plan to homicide his superior officer to his crew mates. Quickly after, one other sailor developed extreme paranoia and grew increasingly more satisfied his shipmates had been conspiring to kill him.[1]
9 Excessive Chilly, Darkness, and Isolation Take a Toll
In Antarctica’s summer season, the solar lights the sky day and night time from October to March and doesn’t set till winter. Then, it solely peeks above the horizon, making all the times darkish from March to October. Antarctic winters are the coldest on the planet, with a mean temperature of -29.92°F (-34.4°C). The coldest temperature recorded was -144°F (-97.8°C). These excessive situations are greater than most can deal with, resulting in the long-standing rumor that they drive males mad.
Individuals most frequently expertise hallucinations and paranoid delusions. Generally, they’ll stray from their ship or base with out telling anyone- as if civilization is just a brief stroll away. In addition they are likely to turn into obsessive about violence- whether or not meaning threatening homicide, fearing it, or each.
Over time, enhancements to the infrastructure at analysis bases made the personnel much less prone to undergo from the harshness of the weather. Nonetheless, incidents of insanity continued to happen. The U.S. Navy began to carry out psychiatric evaluations on everybody at its bases within the early Seventies and located “there was at least one and usually more episodes of actual or attempted physical aggression each year. In retrospect, these events were invariably reported at the lowest points of morale during the year and were the source of great guilt, rumination, and preoccupation within the group.”[2]
8 Rodney Marks, Australian Astrophysicist
Born in Geelong, Australia, Rodney Marks was a 32-year-old astrophysicist with a eager mind, bohemian methods, and an outgoing persona. He was working on the Nationwide Science Basis’s Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in the course of the winter season.
Employed by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Marks was engaged on the Antarctic Submillimeter Telescope and Distant Observatory (AST/RO) mission, which included a 1.7-meter telescope for measuring the spectra of atomic carbon and carbon monoxide within the Milky Means. A activity that the frigid, dry environment of Antarctica is good for. Earlier than his loss of life, he was engaged on an issue with one of many telescope receivers, which required a near-absolute-zero temperature.
It was Marks’s second winter on the South Pole after collaborating within the 1997-98 analysis season as a part of CARA’s South Pole Infrared Explorer (SPIREX) mission. He’d obtained his bachelor’s diploma with 1st Class Honors from the College of Melbourne and a doctorate in physics from the College of New South Wales. His thesis analysis was on the characterization of the South Pole web site for astrophysical observations. Working in Antarctica was a dream come true for him.[3]
7 Sudden Sickness and Dying
Based on a police assertion, Marks instantly felt unwell and skilled points together with his imaginative and prescient. He went to mattress early however woke in the course of the night time for some antacid tablets. Marks woke once more at 5:30 am, vomiting blood. He was taken to BioMed, the bottom medical middle, to see physician Robert “Robo” Thompson thrice over the following 10 hours as he grew to become more and more anxious, disoriented, wanting breath, and pained. When he went into cardiac arrest and misplaced consciousness, Thompson carried out 45 minutes of CPR with out success.
Marks was declared useless at 6:45 pm on Could 12, 2000. In response, the Nationwide Science Basis (NSF) launched an announcement that Marks died of pure causes. Nonetheless, that didn’t develop into the case. His physique was saved in storage for the remainder of the winter, about 5 ½ months, earlier than being shipped for an post-mortem in Christchurch, New Zealand. The post-mortem discovered that Marks died from ingesting the equal of a big glass of methanol. One other puzzling clue was that Marks had two needle marks on his proper arm however no unlawful medicine in his system.[4]
6 The Investigation Begins
Antarctica is ruled by a treaty signed by 54 nations, so dealing with crimes there can get difficult quick. Marks’s loss of life was no exception, contemplating he was an Australian native who labored for an American station and died inside a New Zealand territory (known as the Ross Dependency). Cooperation is significant in a spot like this- with no police, courts, or prisons—and nations have devised a singular approach of coping with it. Sometimes, jurisdiction falls underneath their native nation.
In Marks’s case, Detective Senior Sergeant Grant Wormald of the New Zealand police led the investigation. Wormald confronted two critical obstacles proper out of the gate. First, the 49 individuals on the station with Marks had already left the bottom and returned house. Second, any potential clues left in Marks’s room or on the base had already been cleaned and discarded. Wormald’s investigation lasted eight years attributable to a number of authorized, diplomatic, and jurisdictional hurdles. By its finish, a number of the most crucial questions remained unanswered.[5]
5 Homicide, Accident, or Suicide?
Suicide was among the many first issues, however Wormald discovered it to be the least seemingly. Marks had simply gotten engaged to upkeep specialist Sonja Wolter, whom he’d met in Antarctica. They had been described as an ideal match—enjoying within the base’s band collectively and dyeing their hair collectively (Marks went purple whereas Wolter went brilliant inexperienced). They grew to become inseparable. The connection was simply certainly one of a number of issues going proper in his life, in keeping with Wormald:
“Dr. Marks had recently formed a close relationship with a woman at the base; he was active in his work and socially at the base. He had no financial worries, and he was striving towards the completion of a significant piece of academic work.”
Unintended poisoning was one other risk. There have been speculations that Marks might have ingested the methanol with out realizing it or incorrectly brewed his personal alcohol. Homicide couldn’t be dominated out both. Whether or not a prank went fallacious or one thing extra sinister, it will have been comparatively straightforward for somebody to spike Marks’s drink or swap glasses with out his information. Sadly, investigating these theories proved practically unattainable.[6]
4 No One Would Cooperate
Wormald shortly discovered that he would get little, if any, assist together with his investigation. It wasn’t till 2006 that NSF agreed to ahead a questionnaire to the individuals Wormald wished to query—however provided that it authorised the questions first. Solely 11 (out of 49) responded. Among the extra essential witnesses had been amongst those that selected to not take part.
Accessing medical stories additionally took some perseverance- and some courtroom hearings in 2000, 2002, and 2006, however Wormald lastly managed. He additionally discovered assist from two former NSF employees members, who offered the NSF’s medical report and described the inquiries made into Marks’s loss of life, comparable to testing lab containers to make sure the contents matched the labels. In addition they criticized Dr. Thompson’s notes however couldn’t shed some gentle on probably the most urgent questions.[7]
3 Alcohol & Drug Abuse
Regardless of a zero-tolerance coverage for drug use and the regulation of the provision and consumption of alcohol, each flowed freely that winter season. Marks’s fiance Wolters wrote in regards to the topic on her weblog, “There is an unbelievable amount of alcohol down here.” She added, “I’m not aware of any AA meetings taking place, although it wouldn’t be a bad idea for quite a few people here.”
Some individuals on the bottom made “toast Juice,” named for a situation known as “toastiness,” in Antarctic parlance, introduced on by spending winters on the South Pole. Signs embrace a “short attention span, poor memory, and irritability.” Wormald examined a bottle and located it contained 71% pure alcohol.
There was point out of hashish crops grown on the bottom, which some claimed had been hidden within the air ducts. An intravenous drug person lived on the bottom and reportedly supplied medicine to others. Marks was a heavy drinker with a excessive tolerance who used alcohol to masks the signs of Tourette’s syndrome [LINK 10]. He additionally admitted to utilizing intravenous medicine earlier than coming to work on the base [LINK 1]. Many have questioned whether or not alcohol and drug abuse on the base influenced the NSF’s participation in Wormald’s investigation. [8]
2 A Neglectful Physician and a Damaged Machine
A number of of Dr. Thompson’s selections main as much as Marks’s loss of life had been questionable. He didn’t inquire in regards to the needle marks on Marks’ arm and even selected to make use of the identical space to attract blood, for instance. Thompson additionally didn’t use the Ektachem, a machine that measures blood chemistry, as a result of it wanted to be recalibrated each time he turned it on—an 8-10 hour course of he was “too busy” for whereas treating Marks.
The issue was a failure of the lithium battery, which allowed the machine to take care of its digital reminiscence after being turned off. It turned out Thompson would have solely needed to depart it working for it to have been accessible for Marks’s remedy. He additionally testified that the machine was “difficult to use, unreliable, and that the contractor was responsible for maintaining it.” An announcement that an professional later argued to be unfaithful.
Moreover, the forensic pathologist, Marvin Sage, testified that Marks’s probabilities of survival would have elevated considerably with a well timed analysis. Thompson was unreachable when contacted to answer these and different factors; his present whereabouts are unknown.[9]
1 That’s a Wrap
Coroner Richard McElrea delivered an official assertion in September 2008 that raised new questions somewhat than answering any of the prevailing ones. The final paragraph of his 50-page report echoed the forensic pathologist’s post-mortem findings, then wrapped all the problems collectively within the later half of his sentence with out decision:
“I formally record that Rodney David Marks… died as a result of acute methanol poisoning, the methanol overdose being undiagnosed and probably occurring 1 to 2 days earlier… [Marks] being either unaware of the overdose or not understanding the possible complications of it, the medical assistance to him being compromised by an Echtachem [sic] blood analyzer being inoperable, death being unintended.”
Sergeant Wormald had his personal closing phrases to supply:
“I don’t know if things have changed, but I hope that a good hard look was made at the death and the situation of what transpired down there, and it’s now a safer place to visit. If nothing else, that’s what the family wanted to achieve.”
Wormald and the Marks household bought this want. A brand new $150 million station was devoted in 2016. Among the many upgrades was a brand new, fashionable medical facility with telecommunications gear that enables specialists to information station physicians in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.[10]
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