Severly malnourished Venezuelan professor found next to his wife's dead body

The Universidad de Los Andes (ULA) Fire Department responded to an emergency call on Sunday made by residents of the Los Sauces building in Merida after they reported calls for "help" coming from the apartment of Professor Pedro José Salinas.

Firefighters had to ask the neighbors to help open the apartment door. When they entered, they found a terrifying scene: on the floor was the dead body of his wife Isbelia Hernandez, and next to her was Salinas, unable to move, dehydrated, and in a state of severe malnutrition.

Salinas was rushed to the Autonomous Institute Los Andes University Hospital (IAHULA), reported journalist Leonardo León.

Professor Pedro José Salinas is an engineer who graduated from Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV), research fellow with a Diploma from the College of Science, Technology, and Medicine at University of London, 1966; MSc University of London, 1966; and Ph.D. University of London, 1972, according to information published by ULA.

He has been a professor at the Universidad de Los Andes (ULA) in Venezuela since 1968, teaching in the department of Forestry and Environmental Sciences and the school of Medicine. He was editor of the "Revista Forestal Venezolana" and "MedULA, Revista de la Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad de Los Andes.”

His book "Iniciación Práctica a la Investigación Científica"(Practical Introduction to Scientific Research), currently out of print, is the official text at the ULA School of Medicine and is used in several Latin American countries. The book received the "Libro Dorado" award for the best-selling book at ULA, among other academic achievements.  

He is a member of the World Cultural Council and has been invited to different national and foreign universities to give courses, lectures, or advice on research.

His wife, Isbelia Hernández, was a bioanalyst, lawyer, and retired professor from the School of Medicine.