Rodney Marks

Rodney David Marks (13 March 1968 – 12 May 2000) was an Australian astrophysicist who died from methanol poisoning while working in Antarctica.

Early life Marks was born in Geelong, Victoria, in Australia and received his education from the University of Melbourne, later obtaining a PhD from the University of New South Wales. Marks had Tourette syndrome. He was engaged to Sonja Wolter, who was overwintering as a maintenance specialist at the base in order to be with him. Amundsen–Scott Pole Station is run by the National Science Foundation, a United States government agency, although much work at the time was subcontracted to Raytheon's Polar Services Company.

Death An aerial view of the South Pole and former base, showing the buildings Marks was walking between when he collapsed. On 11 May 2000, Rodney Marks became unwell while walking between the remote observatory and the base. He became increasingly sick over a 36-hour period, three times returning increasingly distressed to the station's doctor. Advice was sought by satellite, but Marks died on 12 May 2000, aged 32, with his condition undiagnosed.

The National Science Foundation issued a statement saying that Rodney Marks had "apparently died of natural causes, but the specific cause of death ha yet to be determined". The case received media attention as the "first South Pole murder", Both the United States and Australia agreed to a coroner's inquest being held in New Zealand.

Jurisdiction issues in the Antarctic are complicated; most American operations within Antarctica—including the South Pole base—are within the Ross Dependency territory claimed by New Zealand, from where supplies are dispatched. The U.S. Government does not accept New Zealand's claim to territorial sovereignty or the application of New Zealand law to U.S. citizens operating in the Antarctic from Operation Deep Freeze's Christchurch base. New Zealand has not questioned the use of U.S. Marshals in relation to crimes involving only Americans in the Ross Dependency.

An investigation was undertaken by Detective Senior Sergeant (DSS) Grant Wormald, of the New Zealand Police, at the direction of Richard McElrea, the Christchurch coroner. A formal verdict has yet to be entered; a 2006 series of Coroners Court hearings and statements to the media raised questions from both the police and the Coroner's Court if Marks' poisoning was intentional. DSS Wormald said, "In my view it is most likely Marks ingested the methanol unknowingly."

DSS Wormald stated it was not credible to believe he had deliberately drunk the methanol, when he had ready access to a large supply of alcohol. Marks had recently entered a new relationship, had nearly completed important academic work and had no financial problems. He had promptly sought treatment for an illness that confused him, and there was no reason to suspect suicidal intent.

DSS Wormald indicated that Raytheon and the National Science Foundation had not been cooperative.

Having obtained details of the 49 other people at the base at the time, DSS Wormald told a newspaper, "I suspect that there have been people who have thought twice about making contact with us on the basis of their future employment position". Marks' father thanked the New Zealand police, who he said faced an "arduous task of dealing with people that quite obviously don't want to deal with them".

The cause of the fatal methanol poisoning has never been determined, and the Marks family has given up hope of learning what happened. Paul Marks, Rodney's father, is quoted as saying "...And I don't think we are going to try to find out any more in regards to how Rodney died. I'd see that as a fruitless exercise."

Memorial Mount Marks, a mountain in the Worcester Range with a height of (78°47′S, 160°35′E), is named after Marks. A plaque was erected at the base, and the site of the South Pole in January 2001 is marked by a memorial to him.