Former UBC researcher murdered in Chile during attempted robbery

A former UBC researcher has been identified as the Canadian murdered in Chile during a daytime robbery on Friday.

Dr. Peter Winterburn, a former researcher with UBC’s Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, was with his wife and daughter in the port city of Valparaiso when he was stabbed, according to local authorities.

“He was approached by two people who tried to steal his backpack. From the altercation that followed, he was injured with a weapon that unfortunately caused his death,” police officer Oscar Alarcon tells Reuters.

Jorge Sharp Fajardo, the mayor of Valparaiso, called the murder “reprehensible,” saying the two suspects were attempting to steal the man’s camera during the violent attack.

In a Facebook post, the Mineral Deposit Research Unit at UBC called him a “compelling force” within the community. Prior to joining the university, Winterburn spent 17 years in the minerals industry with AngloAmerican and then Brazilian-owned global mining giant Vale. He left UBC in January 2019 to return to Vale, working in Santiago, Chile.

A statement on the website of the 29th International Applied Geochemistry Symposium, set to be held in Chile next year, says Winterburn had recently moved back to Chile after many years away.

“Enthusiastic as he always was, he was happy to join the LOC and Technical Committee. We will sincerely miss our friend and our grievance is great; we will always remember his important contribution to the development of our discipline,” read the tribute.

Global Affairs Canada would only confirm that a Canadian had been murdered in Chile, adding “consular officials were ready to provide assistance to the victims’ family (and) are in contact with local authorities to gather additional information.”