The remains of a woman’s body were discovered inside the stomach of a tiger shark, two weeks after she went missing during a diving trip in Indonesia. Colleen Monfore, a 68-year-old experienced diver from South Dakota, was exploring the waters near Pulau Reong, a small island in the Alor Archipelago, known for its popular scuba diving spots, when she disappeared on September 26, via PEOPLE.
Monfore had been diving with six friends and a tour guide when she failed to resurface. Rescue teams searched for her for eight days but eventually called off the operation, citing hazardous sea conditions and a low likelihood of finding her body.
Two weeks later, a fisherman in nearby Timor-Leste caught a tiger shark that appeared to be in distress. “The shark was caught but it was not in normal health. I thought it had swallowed plastic or a fishing net,” the fisherman explained to The Sun. “It was cut open to find the problem, and inside there were the remains of a woman.” Along with the remains, the fisherman found Monfore’s wetsuit and bathing suit inside the shark.
While early reports suggested that Monfore may have been attacked and eaten by the shark, her friends have refuted this claim. They believe she likely died from a medical issue days before her body was found. “It has been a horrible two weeks,” wrote her friend, Kim Sass, on Facebook. “[Ms Monfore’s] body was found several days ago, and the media is saying it was a shark attack. Evidence says this is false.”
The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources states that sharks can take several days to fully digest their food, and their stomach acid is powerful enough to dissolve metal. However, according to Sass, Monfore’s body was still identifiable, which suggests a different timeline. “Her fingerprints (again identifiable) are being used by our US embassy and the local government for proof of death. This would not be possible if the shark had attacked her weeks ago,” she added.
Sass also shared that Monfore’s husband expressed sorrow over the shark’s death, saying that she would have been heartbroken knowing that a shark died because of her. “Her death is giving sharks, once again, a bad name,” he stated.
Brendon Sing, founder of Shark Guardian, supported this view, explaining, “Sharks rarely would attack and kill an adult human being. Tiger sharks, especially, are often scavengers and prey on animals or species that are already dead, injured, or weakened in some way.”
The investigation into the cause of Monfore’s death remains ongoing, as her friends and family seek to clarify the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident.