Remains of missing Argentine man found inside captured shark
BUENOS AIRES — The remains of a man who disappeared in southern Argentina earlier this month appear to have been found inside a school shark that was captured by local fishermen.
The family of Diego Barría, 32, recognized his remains from a tattoo that was visible, Daniela Millatruz, the law enforcement officer in charge of the search, told local news media. Barría was last seen late Feb. 18 riding his all-terrain vehicle near the coast in southern Chubut province.
The damaged ATV was located Feb. 20 on a beach near Rocas Coloradas, but there was no sign of Barría, and an intense search began for the father of three.
Early Sunday morning, two fishermen reported to the coast guard that they had caught three school sharks close to where Barría’s ATV was found, “and when they were cleaning them, they found human remains in one of them,” Millatruz said. Family members recognized Barría “due to a tattoo that appeared in one of those remains,” she added.
Officials are continuing to investigate what exactly happened to Barría.
“We presume Diego had an accident,” Millatruz said, “and we’re investigating if there was a vehicle involved.”
A 50-year-old woman was bitten on the upper thigh and was taken to a hospital with punctures and lacerations. She is stable and recovering, a lifeguard chief said.
The remains will undergo DNA testing to confirm that they belong to Barría, Cristian Ansaldo, who heads the police department in the city of Comodoro Rivadavia, said in an interview with local media.
The school shark in which the remains were found measured about 5 feet long, Ansaldo said.
The investigators’ current hypothesis is that Barría “had an accident and was dragged,” Ansaldo said, noting that there had been a strong tidal surge the weekend he disappeared.
“My heart went with you! I love you forever,” Virginia Brugger, who was identified as Barría’s partner and had been posting updates on the search on social media, wrote on Facebook on Sunday.
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