Dismembered body of British scientist found in rural Argentina He reportedly lived alone and was described by locals as "somewhat of a hermit." Local reports said his home had been ransacked and that some possessions appeared to be missing. Police said no money had been located at the site and they were investigating whether he could have been killed during a robbery. One report, citing unnamed sources, indicated that the body may have been eaten away by wild animals and that initial forensic investigation suggested he had been dead for around four months. The British Embassy in Buenos Aires confirmed that several weeks ago it had been contacted by relatives in Britain when they became worried because he had not been in contact. "Several weeks ago we asked police to look into his whereabouts after relatives in England contacted us saying they hadn't heard from him," said a spokesman at the British Embassy. Some remains were found on Thursday and our vice consul has travelled to the area to look into it. Police said it had been some months since he had collected his monthly pension from a local bank where it was transferred from the UK. They have asked relatives of Mr Brooks to provide DNA to check against the remains. In a feature on local eccentrics in the local paper Liberal, published in 2005, Mr Brooks described the circumstances that led him to be living in the area. The first time I came to this country I arrived in Buenos Aires and I bought, without knowing it, this country site of 100 hectares. One day, visiting my relatives in Canada I took my Chevrolet camper and I decided to drive to here. After I arrived at the site I decided to stay here forever. That's my story; I changed Manchester for this piece of land in Santiago.