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Missing Hotel Manager’s Remains Found Inside Large Crocodile

DNA testing is underway after police found human remains, six shoes and a ring inside the euthanized crocodile.

  • Police recovered human remains and six pairs of shoes from a 500-kilogram crocodile in the Komati River over the weekend, sparking a forensic investigation into the disappearance of Gabriel Batista, a 59-year-old Mpumalanga businessman.
  • Batista vanished on April 28 after his Ford Ranger was swept away by flash floods while crossing a low-lying bridge near the Border Country Inn, prompting a week-long search involving drones and helicopters.
  • Captain Johan Potgieter, a South African Police Service diver, was lowered into crocodile-infested waters to secure the 15-ft, more than 1,100-lb reptile before it was airlifted via helicopter. The SAPS described the operation as 'dangerous and complex.'
  • The carcass was transported to Kruger National Park for forensic autopsy, where investigators discovered a personal ring inside the stomach. Authorities await official DNA confirmation to identify the remains as those of the missing businessman.
  • Acting National SAPS Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane praised the recovery team's bravery, saying their actions reflect 'unwavering commitment' to serve and protect. Investigators continue matching the recovered footwear against historical missing persons files in the region.
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After the disappearance of a hotel businessman in South Africa and on suspicion that his body had been devoured by an animal, local authorities captured and shot down a huge crocodile on the Komati River, north-east of the country. The specimen was then transferred by helicopter to a veterinary centre, where an autopsy confirmed that it had remains of the man inside it. The case began when the trail of Gabriel Batista, 59 years old, was lost. Th…

·Buenos Aires, Argentina
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South African police airlift massive crocodile suspected of eating missing local

A massive crocodile suspected of eating a missing South African businessman was airlifted from the Komati River after being euthanized. Human remains were found in its stomach.

·New York, United States
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Moneycontrol broke the news in India on Tuesday, May 5, 2026.
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