Body of Chilean Poet Pablo Neruda Being Tested for Poison

Posted on April 26, 2013

The body of famous Chilean poet Pablo Neruda was exhumed earlier this month. The Nobel Prize-winning poet's 1973 death certificate lists prostate cancer as the cause of his death, but it is possible he was poisoned by Chile's military dictatorship. The BBC says Neruda was a close personal friend of Salvador Allende, who was overthrown in the military coup. Neruda died just 12 days after the coup. The tests for poison will be conducted in North Carolina. The results are not back yet and may take months.

Manuel Araya, the former chauffeur of Neruda, helped spark the investigation into the late poet's death with his claims Neruda was killed by lethal injection. CNN reports that Neruda's family doubts the poison murder theory. Take a look:

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