"Animal is innocent"

Missing diver discovered in shark’s stomach

Parts of Colleen Monfore's body and wetsuit were discovered in a shark's stomach.

(Bild: facebook.com/Kim Sass)

A dream vacation in Indonesia was the undoing of an American tourist. While diving, Colleen Monfore (68) was swept away by strong currents - a few days later, body parts were found in the stomach of a shark. A travel companion of the deceased now warned on Facebook against demonizing the animals.

Monfore had been exploring the sea around the island of Pulau Reong with six other friends on September 26 when the tragedy occurred. The 68-year-old was swept away by strong currents - the guide of the diving group was unable to pull the tourist back onto the boat, as reported by "The Independent". A subsequent search for the missing woman was called off after eight days. 

Body parts were partially wrapped in neoprene
The case took a sad turn when fishermen caught a sick shark in Timor-Leste on 6 October - around 120 kilometers from where Monfore disappeared. The predator's stomach contained parts of a woman's body, some of which were still in her wetsuit and swimsuit.

In this post you can see the sliced shark that was caught in Timor-Leste: 

Shark caught by divers because it looked sick
"The shark was in a very bad condition. I thought it had swallowed plastic or a fishing net," explained one of the fishermen, according to the New York Post. "We opened it up to find out what was going on and found the remains of a woman." The remains of a black wetsuit were also discovered in the animal's stomach - this is attributed to the monfore.

Investigators are still checking whether the body parts actually belong to the American woman. She was not on Indonesian territory. "We are now investigating the case further to confirm whether it is the remains of a person reported missing in Indonesia," said Muhammad Saleh Goro, head of the Regional Technical Implementation Unit. "Given the diving suit the victim was wearing, it can be assumed that he was a diver. The results of the investigation will be published shortly as soon as more comprehensive information is available."

Travel companion does not believe in shark attack
However, one of Monfore's travel companions made it clear on Facebook that reports of a shark attack were false - as the evidence collected would suggest. The body and fingerprints of the missing woman were still identifiable, explained Kim Sass. However, sharks have a stomach that is adapted to rapid digestion. "The stomach contains strong acids and enzymes that quickly break down food into smaller particles," explained Sass. 

The quick identification would therefore not have been possible "if the shark had attacked them weeks ago", Sass assumed. She believes it is more likely that her friend died of a "medical problem". The current was manageable, especially for a diver as experienced as Monfore. "I don't think it was the environment and certainly not a shark that ended her life."

"Gives sharks a bad name"
According to this assumption, the animal only devoured the 68-year-old after she was already dead. "Colleen's husband said she was heartbroken to know that a shark died because of her and that her death is once again giving sharks a bad name," the post continues.