Australian authorities believe the body of a 40-year-old man found in a crocodile's stomach belongs to a missing father of three. The man's wife said: News.com.au her heroic final act that saved her husband's life.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, Queensland police confirmed they had found a human body inside a crocodile and were conducting a “formal identification process” to “determine the positive identity” of the deceased. However, police believe the remains are those of “missing 40-year-old New South Wales man” Dave Hogbin.
Hogbin was fishing on a camping trip with his wife and three sons on the Annan River when he suddenly fell into the river after part of the riverbank collapsed into the water.
Hogbin's wife, Jane, was nearby and tried to pull her husband to safety but was forced to let go when he started to slide into the river.
“He saved me – his final act was not to pull me with him,” Jane said. “I'm glad I'm still here, because it could have been a million times worse for everyone involved, not just the kids.”
“Initial investigations suggest that the man fell into the water while fishing on the riverbank and did not resurface,” police said, adding that they received a report of a man being “abducted by a crocodile” at around 2pm local time.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that a crocodile was seen in the area before the unidentified victim went missing.
Hogbin's wife “wants to put a face to this tragedy – someone wasn't just killed by a crocodile, we lost a wonderful husband, father, son, brother, friend and doctor,” Jane said. “David touched so many people's lives, everyone deserves to know who he was and how it all ended for him.”