American Geologist Found Shot To Death

An American geologist was found shot dead in a guerrilla stronghold of northern Colombia, 11 weeks after he was seized by gunmen. A police official said he had been dead four or five days.

The body of Frank Pescatore Jr., 40, was discovered Tuesday in San Juan del Cesar, 25 miles southwest of where he was seized Dec. 10 while working in a coal mine. He owned Geomet Inc. of Bessemer, Ala., a coalbed methane company.

The victim, whose identification was found in his shirt pocket, had been killed four or five days ago because the body was decomposing, said a major at national police headquarters in Bogota who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The area where the body was found is a stronghold of both the National Liberation Army and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the country’s two leading rebel groups.

Police said it was not clear whether guerrillas or common criminals were behind the kidnapping.