Pablo Neruda died on September 23, 1973, and at the time, it was claimed that the cause of death was unstoppable prostate cancer. Some time later, it became known that the death occurred because Neruda had drunk a deadly toxic substance.
But who did it and why?
The crime is suspected to have been ordered by Augusto Pinochet, the general who organized the coup that ended the career of President Salvador Allende. Neruda's death came 12 days after this event.
This issue has troubled many authorities and since 2013, 3 groups of experts have been gathered that have tried to shed light on the death of the famous poet.
As for the reason, rumors say it may have something to do with power, as Neruda has had an active life in politics, taking on various roles as a senator, or even running for president in Chile. Neruda was a well-known figure in politics, as he was a diplomat in various countries and a senator of the Communist Party of Chile, also a close advisor to President Allende.
After the fall of the dictatorship, an arrest warrant was issued for the poet. His friends immediately came to his aid and hid him in a basement, in a house in Valparaíso. In 1949, he escaped from the mountain to Argentina, only to return to Chile after 3 years. When Neruda returned, he played the role of advisor to President Salvador Allende and at the same time, received the Nobel Prize in Stockholm.
He was diagnosed with cancer in September 1973, when Pinochet's coup d'état took place, which, with the help of the US, overthrew Allende's government. Neruda was sent home a few days later, and suspicions began that the doctor who attended to him injected him with the unknown substance, on Pinochet's orders.
Neruda died at his home in Isla Negra, a few hours after leaving the hospital where he was being treated for prostate cancer.
At the time, it was said that the cause of his old age was related to the heart, but the Chilean Minister of Internal Affairs said that "Neruda was killed as a result of the intervention of third parties". His body was exhumed from the last dwelling on Isla Negra, to undergo examinations.
