Colleen Monfore, a 68-year-old American woman, disappeared on September 26 while scuba diving.
His body was found several days later in the belly of a shark.
According to those close to him, his death was not linked to a shark attack but to a “medical problem”.
She had left to indulge in her passion: diving. The body of a 68-year-old American tourist was found in the belly of a shark in early October in Indonesia. Colleen Monfore, originally from Michigan, disappeared on September 26, swept away by the current during a sea trip, reports the New York Post (new window).
Shark captured ‘in poor health’
This mother of two, also a grandmother, was on vacation on Pulau Reong, an island in the south of the Indonesian archipelago (new window). According to her friends, she had dreamed of this trip for a long time. When she went diving, the group accompanying her became worried that they would not see her come back to the surface. The search was immediately launched, in vain.
Almost two weeks later, more than a hundred kilometers away, a fisherman from East Timor came across a shark that seemed in bad shape. “The shark was caught, but it was not in good health. I thought it had swallowed plastic or a fishing net”he told the Asia Pacific Press agency. Surprise while cutting up the shark: the sailor found almost intact remains of the body of the sixty-year-old.
An excellent diver
“Colleen’s body was identifiable”family friends Rick and Kim Sass revealed in a Facebook post. Pieces of her swimsuit and wetsuit were found in the animal’s entrails. His fingerprints made it possible to positively identify Colleen Monfore.
Was the sixty-year-old killed by the shark? Those close to him doubt it: “We don’t think it was a shark attack. Mike, her husband, thinks she suffered a medical problem in the water.”they explain. A thesis supported by the behavior of sharks in this area: “They’re not like that. We’ve dived with hammerhead sharks, tiger sharks and bull sharks. You have to respect them and be careful, but they won’t attack you.”
The 60-year-old was known to be an excellent swimmer (new window). She used to go to Bali and the Philippines to dive. “I don’t think it was the environment and certainly not a shark that ended his life”is convinced Kim Sass, his long-time diving partner.
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An investigation was opened by the East Timorese authorities to understand the circumstances of the death. And a call for witnesses was launched among fishermen in the area.
