Human remains found in crocodile following search for missing man
Police believe human remains found inside a crocodile belong to a man reported missing from a remote region in Far North Queensland last week.
A search and rescue operation commenced on February 1 for a 60-year-old man reported missing from Aurukun, a remote Indigenous community about two hours’ drive from Weipa.
Initial information indicated the man was last seen leaving his home about 12pm on January 30, and is believed to have gone fishing at the mouth of the Ward, Watson and Archer Rivers.
Crocodiles have been sighted in flooded areas of Queensland (file image).Credit: Queensland Department of Environment and Science/Brenton Gangemi
Police, SES volunteers, wildlife rangers, aerial support, and community members were deployed to search by foot on land, and by boats in the river, in the days following.
Shortly after meeting with Aurukun Shire Council and the man’s immediate family to provide an update on the search area on Wednesday, police informed up to 300 community members gathered at the council chambers that the search had moved to a recovery phase.
On Friday evening, police and wildlife officers located a crocodile along Watson River, and humanely euthanised it.
Police have located human remains inside a crocodile as part of the recovery of a man reported missing from Aurukun.Credit: Queensland Police
Forensic testing was carried out on Saturday morning and human remains were located inside the crocodile.
Further testing will be conducted to identify the remains, though police believe they belong to the man reported missing. His family and the local council have been advised.
On average, about one or two people are killed by saltwater crocodiles every year nationally. The attacks usually occur in either Queensland or the Northern Territory, and occasionally in the northern parts of Western Australia.
Crocodiles have killed 30 people in Australia in the past 25 years, with the highest number of fatal attacks (4) in 2014.
Video taken by camper Chris Kelly of the suspected crocodile near Rainbow Beach.Credit: Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation
There were three fatal crocodile attacks in Australia last year, including the death of a Newcastle doctor and father-of-three while holidaying near Cooktown in Queensland in August.
Crocodiles are populous in north Queensland and are not usually found on the east coast further south than the Boyne River near Gladstone.
However, earlier this week, wildlife officers confirmed a sighting of a two-metre “vagrant” crocodile at Inskip Point near Rainbow Beach, about 150 kilometres north of Brisbane.
“We can reassure the public that this crocodile is considered to be a vagrant animal that has moved into the area from up north,” senior wildlife officer Joshua Morris said in a statement.
“This sighting does not mean the crocodile population is extending south.
“Be vigilant around the water, keep children close and use an esky or similar as a barrier while fishing.”
The news of the suspected crocodile attack lands only days after 17-year-old surf lifesaver Charlize Zmuda died after being attacked by a shark while swimming off Woorim Beach in Bribie Island.
Emergency services treated the teen at the site of the attack but her wounds were so significant, she was pronounced dead at the scene.