Human Remains INSIDE Shark Spark Fears For Missing American Woman

Monfore, hailing from South Dakota, vanished while diving near Pulau Reong island, located off the coast of Indonesia's Southwest Maluku Regency, on September 26.

According to the Daily Mail, Monfore was part of a group of seven divers, including a tour guide, when a powerful current swept her away around 9am local time. Despite the guide's desperate attempts, he was unable to pull Monfore back to the safety of the boat. Following her disappearance, rescue teams embarked on an eight-day search operation, which was eventually called off on October 3 due to hazardous sea conditions and the dwindling probability of finding her.

In a grim development, a fisherman in East Timor, a neighboring country, discovered human remains inside a shark on Sunday. While the remains are yet to be officially identified, officials in the Liquisa District noted that the corpse, clad in a black wet suit, bore a striking resemblance to the profile of Monfore. The fisherman who made the gruesome discovery recounted the unsettling moment, stating, "The shark was caught but it was not in normal health. I thought it had swallowed plastic or a fishing net. It was cut open to find the problem and inside there were the remains of a woman."

In response to this discovery, officials in East Timor have reached out to the Indonesian coast guard and have also requested information about any missing individuals due to the popularity of diving in the nearby Indonesian islands. Muhammad Saleh Goro, Head of the Regional Technical Implementation Unit (UPTD) for the Management of the Alor Islands Marine Park and surrounding ocean, confirmed the information, stating, "The body of the woman was found in a shark in Timor Leste. It was not in Indonesian territory. We are now investigating the case further to confirm if they are the remains of anyone reported missing in Indonesia."

October 08, 2024

Ipda Giovani BM Toffy, the chief of police in Southwest Maluku where Monfore had initially gone missing, revealed that the tour guide with the diving group was the first to report her disappearance. He said, "The initial search effort was carried out by the victim's friends because they were on the same trip to the Banda Islands. We coordinated with the Nabar Village Government to mobilize residents to help search the coast facing Reong Island and conduct searches around the waters of Reong Island using long boats or speed boats, but the victim has not been found."

Pulau Reong, a small island nestled in the Alor Archipelago of Indonesia, is gaining popularity among divers for its biodiversity, unique dive sites, pristine corals, and quieter environment compared to neighboring Thailand and the Philippines. Shark attacks in Indonesia are an extremely rare occurrence, with only 11 unprovoked attacks reported since 1749, as per the latest International Shark Attack File data published earlier this year.

Prior to the incident involving Monfore, the last reported shark attack in Indonesia took place near Bali in July 2022, when Russian surfer Sasha Utkina was bitten by a small shark, resulting in lacerations to her foot. The regions in Indonesia with the highest number of shark attacks are the Riau Islands and East Nusa Tenggara, records reveal.

Contrary to popular belief, the United States, not Australia, holds the dubious distinction of being the shark attack capital of the world, with over half of the 69 worldwide confirmed shark bites occurring there last year. Florida and California, in particular, witness the highest number of attacks each year, likely due to the large number of people swimming in the waters of these regions and the duration of their oceanic activities. The International Shark Attack File disclosed that great whites, tiger, and bull sharks were responsible for the majority of fatalities in 2023, attributing the rise in deaths to an increase in oceanic activities and a heightened emphasis on reporting bites and fatalities.