Authorities say a crocodile helped in their search of a missing boy, who, sadly, had already died when he was found.
Footage taken last Friday from the Jawa Estuary in Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan shows a large crocodile swimming in the water while carrying what looked like a human body in its mouth. It soon became clear that the body belonged to four-year-old Muhammad Ziyad Wijaya, who had gone missing around the estuary two days prior.
Local search and rescue agency officers then retrieved Muhammad’s body after the crocodile had “delivered” it near the edge of the estuary before it swam away.
There were no bite marks on Muhammad’s body, which remained fully intact.
“Nothing was missing; everything was intact,” head of the East Kalimantan Search and Rescue Agency Melkanius Kotta said.
“We think the crocodile actually aided in the search for the victim.”
It’s not clear what caused Muhammad to drown, and whether or not the estuary’s crocodiles had anything to do with his death in the first place.
Authorities noted that a similar incident occurred in 2017, wherein a 40-year-old man was bathing in the estuary when he was snatched and dragged into the water by a crocodile.
Locals then sought the help of a crocodile whisperer, who apparently managed to convince the crocodile to give back the victim’s body to his family.
