Australian Scientist and Her Sister Found Dead in Argentina

The nephew of Lily Pereg, a microbial ecologist at the University of New England in Australia, has been arrested on homicide charges.

Written byAshley Yeager

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ABOVE: Lily Pereg (left) and her sister, Pyrhia Sarussi
COURTESY OF GOFUNDME, AMNON SARIG

Lily Pereg, a microbial ecologist at the University of New England in Armidale, Australia, and her sister, Pyrhia Sarussi of Israel, were found dead in Argentina, The Associated Press reported yesterday (January 27).

The sisters were visiting Sarussi’s son, Gilad Pereg, when they went missing January 12. The women’s bodies were found Saturday (January 26) next to his home near Mendoza. Gilad Pereg has been arrested on homicide charges, as one of the sisters was shot three times. Autopsies are currently being done to determine the cause of death of each woman.

When the women went missing, their family started a GoFundMe page to raise money to locate them. “We the family, are shocked,” it now states about the potential murder of the sisters by Sarussi’s son and says the family is focused on bringing the sisters’ ...

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Meet the Author

Ashley Yeager
Ashley started at The Scientist in 2018. Before joining the staff, she worked as a freelance editor and writer, a writer at the Simons Foundation, and a web producer at Science News, among other positions. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a master’s degree in science writing from MIT. Ashley edits the Scientist to Watch and Profile sections of the magazine and writes news, features, and other stories for both online and print.
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