Jordi Magraner

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Dr. Jordi Magraner (Casablanca, 1958 - August 2, 2002), a Spanish scientist living in France, researched the Barmanou in Afghanistan and Pakistan from 1988 to 2002. In 1994, he wrote the paper Les Hominidés reliques d'Asie Centrale and he founded the Institute on Cryptozoology. He was killed in his home in Bumburet in Pakistan's Chitral Province probably on Friday evening 2 August 2002. His throat was cut, as was that of his 12 year old servant, and the main suspect, a local guide, escaped capture. He was found Saturday morning 3 August. Magraner was buried in Bumburet by the Kalash, a local tribe he had been living with for many years. His death remains shrouded in mystery. Whether it were local people frustrated by his attempts to protect the Kalash culture and way of life, or muslim fundamentalists or simply a crime passionelle will probably never become clear. Government officials had warned him in the weeks preceding his death to leave the area. Unfortunately, although Jordi finally decided to leave, he returned shortly to pay the salaries of his guard, and was killed. Many books will probably never be written: about his research tracking the Barmanou for over 14 years; the Neanderthaler-like hominid that roamed the Hindu Kush mountains, about the Kalash people he loved and about his work for a French Medical Agency in the Panjshir Valley.