South Pole Suspicion- Rodney Marks

It was early May in the year 2000 in the deep Antarctic winter. The Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station was cut off from the outside world with flights grounded during their winter months between April and October. The approximately 50 person winter crew knew that they were months away from anyone coming or going from this frozen continent.

The evening of May 11th, after a long shift at the observatory, Rodney, an Australian astrophysicist, complained of nausea. In less than 36 hours, he was dead.

Was this an accident or something far more sinister?

Listen, rate, subscribe and comment!

Thank you for the support

-The Sibs

SOURCES

• New Zealand Herald (2014): “New twist in case of Antarctica poisoning death.”
• ABC News Australia (2014): “Antarctica: Rodney Marks death mystery.”
• RNZ National (2024): Stephen Davis investigates a cold case whodunnit.
• NZ Coroner’s Report (2008): Findings by Coroner Richard McElrea, Christchurch.
• Universe Today (2008): “Astrophysicist’s South Pole death remains a mystery.”
• LiveScience (2015): “Why Antarctica fuels excess drinking.”
• Wired (2015): “Scientists in Antarctica drink a lot — maybe too much.”
• The Sydney Morning Herald (2001): Obituary confirming Marks’s violin playing.
• SouthPoleStation.com: “Blue Flash Band” archive photo, confirming Marks on guitar.
• NZ Listener (2024): “Lawless land: Kiwi journo on decades spent investigating a suspicious death in Antarctica.”
• HowStuffWorks (2019): “Who’s in charge of investigating deaths in Antarctica?”
• Conspiracy Theories (Podcast, 2025): “Murder in Antarctica.”