A South African hotel owner is feared to have been eaten by a massive crocodile measuring 15 feet in length after human remains were discovered inside the animal's swollen body.
Gabriel Batista, 59, vanished approximately a week ago when his four-wheel-drive car became stranded while attempting to traverse the Komati River in the country's north-eastern region.
The businessman was reportedly carried away by surging floodwaters during the crossing attempt.
Authorities remain uncertain whether Mr Batista drowned before the crocodile attack occurred or whether he was consumed while still alive.
DNA analysis will be conducted on the recovered remains to establish the victim's identity definitively.
Following Mr Batista's disappearance, officers deployed drones and helicopters over the crocodile-infested waterway for four consecutive days.
During the aerial surveillance, search teams observed a crocodile with an unusually bloated abdomen resting on a small island in the river.
Captain Johan "Pottie" Potgieter, who leads a police dive unit, told News24: "Besides having a massively full tummy, he didn't move around or try to slip into the river despite the noise of the drones and the chopper."
Police spotted the swollen crocodile before removing it
|SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE
A police marksman positioned in a helicopter shot the reptile, which was subsequently airlifted to the nearby Kruger National Park for examination.
Veterinary specialists performed a field necropsy on the half-tonne predator, uncovering grim evidence within its stomach.
Investigators retrieved two severed arms, portions of rib cage, and fragments of flesh from inside the reptile.
A ring discovered among the remains is believed to have belonged to Mr Batista.
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Remains were found inside the swollen reptile
|SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE
Perhaps most disturbingly, six different types of footwear were also found within the crocodile's digestive system.
Captain Potgieter suggested this could potentially indicate the reptile had attacked other victims previously, although he cautioned against drawing firm conclusions.
"A crocodile will eat or swallow anything," he noted, explaining that the shoes might not necessarily represent additional human casualties.
He added: "I don't want to go into too much detail but there was enough inside the stomach to lead us to believe the crocodile ate the missing man. But we will have to wait until the DNA results come back to confirm it."
Mr Batista owned the Border Country Inn and sports bar, located a short distance from the bridge where he went missing.
A spokesman for the establishment described him as "a lovely guy and a family man" who was popular with customers.
The hotelier resided in Johannesburg but frequently visited his business and was travelling to work when the floodwaters swept him away.
Nile crocodiles rank among the planet's most dangerous reptiles, killing several hundred people annually.
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