They recognized him by his tattoo.
Diego Barrìa, 32, has been missing since February 18, when he was last seen driving his SUV along the coast in southern Argentina’s Chubut province. The damaged vehicle was found on the beach on February 20, but despite searches there was no trace of Barrìa.
His remains were accidentally found in the stomach of a shark caught by two local fishermen. When it came time to clean the fish, the pair discovered that there were unmistakably human remains in its innards. Barria’s family confirmed the identity of the man with the tattoo, which was still visible.
“We believe this was an accident,” say the police authorities, “but we are continuing to investigate the incident.” The victim’s remains will undergo a DNA test to officially confirm his identity. The investigators’ main hypothesis is that Barrìa fell into the water by chance, perhaps swept away by the strong tide in the hours in which he disappeared: at that point the shark would have eaten away from his body – it is less likely that he did so directly was attacked by the animal, which is just over one and a half meters long and belongs to a species that does not normally attack humans.