http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1828916,00.html
Sydney - A sixth person connected to the discovery of the 5 300 year old frozen corpse of a man who became known as Oetzi the Iceman has died, fuelling claims of a curse surrounding the mummified body.
Molecular archaeologist Tom Loy, 63, was found dead in his Brisbane home two weeks ago as he finalised a book about Oetzi, The Australian newspaper reported on Friday.
The United States-born Loy, director of the University of Queensland's archaeological sciences laboratories, lay dead in his home for several days before his body was discovered.
The scientist had suffered from a blood-related condition for about 12 years, members of his family told the paper. The condition was diagnosed shortly after he became involved with the Iceman.
Worldwide interest
Oetzi was discovered high in the Italian alps near the Austrian border in 1991, and reports and pictures of the perfectly preserved Stone Age warrior, sparked worldwide interest.
Other deaths associated with the Iceman include:
- Helmut Simon, 67, the German tourist who found him, fell to his death a year ago while hiking in the same area.
- Archaeologist Konrad Spindler, 55, who first inspected the corpse, died in April of complications from multiple sclerosis.
- The head of the forensic team examining Oetzi, Rainer Henn, 64, died in a car crash on his way to give a lecture about the Iceman.
- The mountaineer who led Henn to the body, Kurt Fritz, 52, died in an avalanche.
- The journalist who filmed the removal of the body from its icy grave, Rainer Hoelzl, 47, died of a brain tumour.
The curse theory was built around the supposition that the Iceman was angry at having been disturbed after 53 centuries. Loy "didn't believe in the curse," a colleague told The Australian. "It was just superstition. People die." Loy's brother Gareth, who flew into Australia to attend a memorial service, told the paper that the autopsy results were inconclusive. "We have been told he died of natural causes or an accident, or a combination of both," he said.
*********
This is scary. Where is this mummy kept?
Sydney - A sixth person connected to the discovery of the 5 300 year old frozen corpse of a man who became known as Oetzi the Iceman has died, fuelling claims of a curse surrounding the mummified body.
Molecular archaeologist Tom Loy, 63, was found dead in his Brisbane home two weeks ago as he finalised a book about Oetzi, The Australian newspaper reported on Friday.
The United States-born Loy, director of the University of Queensland's archaeological sciences laboratories, lay dead in his home for several days before his body was discovered.
The scientist had suffered from a blood-related condition for about 12 years, members of his family told the paper. The condition was diagnosed shortly after he became involved with the Iceman.
Worldwide interest
Oetzi was discovered high in the Italian alps near the Austrian border in 1991, and reports and pictures of the perfectly preserved Stone Age warrior, sparked worldwide interest.
Other deaths associated with the Iceman include:
- Helmut Simon, 67, the German tourist who found him, fell to his death a year ago while hiking in the same area.
- Archaeologist Konrad Spindler, 55, who first inspected the corpse, died in April of complications from multiple sclerosis.
- The head of the forensic team examining Oetzi, Rainer Henn, 64, died in a car crash on his way to give a lecture about the Iceman.
- The mountaineer who led Henn to the body, Kurt Fritz, 52, died in an avalanche.
- The journalist who filmed the removal of the body from its icy grave, Rainer Hoelzl, 47, died of a brain tumour.
The curse theory was built around the supposition that the Iceman was angry at having been disturbed after 53 centuries. Loy "didn't believe in the curse," a colleague told The Australian. "It was just superstition. People die." Loy's brother Gareth, who flew into Australia to attend a memorial service, told the paper that the autopsy results were inconclusive. "We have been told he died of natural causes or an accident, or a combination of both," he said.
*********
This is scary. Where is this mummy kept?
