Human remains found inside a pair of crocodiles are believed to be what’s left of an Australian fisherman missing since Sunday.
“Officers believe the two crocodiles (13.4 feet and 9.2 feet) were involved in an incident with the 65-year-old and were located upstream from where he was last seen,” Queensland Police said Wednesday.
Local news identified the missing man as hotel operator Kevin Darmody of northeast Australia. He was reported missing around 3:30 p.m. Sunday after going to the water’s edge to retrieve a fishing lure, according to Australia’s 7News. Other fishermen reportedly heard a man yell, followed by a loud splash.
A wildlife official said it was highly uncommon for two crocodiles to feed on the body of a single person. The reptiles were killed by authorities seconds apart. The human remains are undergoing testing for positive identification, though police said “search and rescue operations in Lakefield have been discontinued at this time.”
Police Inspector Mark Henderson called the situation a “tragic, tragic ending” for the tight-knit rural town of Laura, Queensland, which had a population of fewer than 300 people at last count.
Henderson said the anglers fishing at Kennedy Bend Sunday, where Darmody was last seen, know the crocodile-infested waters well. One recreational fisherman told 7News “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin used to release “trouble crocodiles” in the waters where Darmody was last seen. The Australian zookeeper and TV star died in 2006 after being stabbed by a stingray off the shores of northeast Australia.
Saltwater crocodiles account for 1,000 human deaths per year, according to the BBC.