Human remains found in hunt for dad-of-three who was snatched by 16ft crocodile in front his traumatised family
HUMAN remains have been found inside a crocodile that was killed after a father was snatched by the beast in front of his family.
The remains were confirmed to be the father-of-three from New South Wales, Australia who was on a camping holiday.
Australian News Corp journalist Alexis Carey confirmed that her brother-in-law Dave Hogbin was tragically taken by the crocodile.
She told news.com.au: “On Saturday, my brother-in-law Dave Hogbin was taken by a crocodile in a horrific, freak accident during a dream holiday with his young family in Far North Queensland.
“After an agonising two-day ordeal, his remains were finally found on Monday night.
“Dave’s final, selfless act was to save the life of Jane, his wife of 10 years, and to ensure their three beautiful boys still had their mum.”
She added: “Jane and the family are bravely speaking out for three reasons – to clear up some misinformation that has unfortunately spread in the wake of Dave’s death, to raise awareness of the dangers of the area and hopefully spare another family from this nightmare.
According to Alexis, Dave, a doctor from Newcastle, was walking along an established path on a riverbank when a portion of the bank gave out.
She said: “Dave fell down into the river below, and despite being tall, strong and fit, the conditions of the terrain meant Dave was unable to get himself out of the water.
“Dave’s final, decisive act was to let go of Jane’s arm when he realised she was falling in, despite knowing she was his only lifeline.
“Within moments, he was taken.”
Dave’s widow Jane said she wanted to put a face to the tragedy.
She said: “Someone didn’t just get killed by a crocodile, we have lost a wonderful husband, father, son, brother, friend and doctor.
“We were just enjoying a standard day of our holiday and everything just changed within 30 seconds.
“He wasn’t doing anything wrong – in fact, he was doing everything right, and this still happened.
“Things can change so quickly in an instant despite doing everything right.”
The 40-year-old was attacked near the bridge at Annan River, south of Cooktown, in Far North Queensland, just after 2pm on Saturday.
He was dragged underwater by the croc as his shocked family watched in horror.
Wildlife rangers shot and killed the beast on Monday before the crocodile was handed to cops to have its stomach contents examined.
Queensland Police previously released a statement on Tuesday revealing that human remains had been found inside the predator.
The statement read: “A formal identification process is underway, however it is believed the remains are those of a missing 40-year-old NSW man.”
“Further testing will be conducted to determine a positive identity. The search and rescue operation has been suspended.
“Police are working with wildlife officers as investigations continue.”
It comes after chilling videos emerged on social media showing people throwing fish or meat scraps into the water near where the father of three was snatched.
Days earlier, a ferocious looking croc was filmed prowling in the area.
The clip show a group of people excitedly discovering a “big” croc known to frequent the aptly named “Crocodile Bend”.
They chuck small fish frames into the riverbank and the reptile eagerly rises to wolf down the treats, despite it being discouraged by authorities.
A young female voice then asks: “Is that the big one?” to which a woman, presumably her mother whispers: “I don’t know, big enough”.
A Queensland Department of Environment and Science said it was ‘highly concerned’ by the videos.
The spokesperson said: “It is illegal to feed crocodiles in Queensland, and anyone with information about the deliberate feeding of crocodiles is encouraged to report the information.”
Tommy Hayes, who claims to have seen the same croc two years ago told Yahoo News Australia: “People aren’t being evil when they feed crocodiles, it’s from an innocent place.
“And it’s cool having an interaction with a big thing that eats meat.
“But it doesn’t make it okay. It’s illegal.
“And it ends up bad for the crocodile who gets shot, and the person who gets eaten.”
A GoFundMe has been set up by family friend Alex Ward, to help Jane and the family in the aftermath of their loss.
Five facts about the saltwater crocodile
- Saltwater crocodiles are the largest crocodile species in the world, and the largest living reptile in the world. Other species of crocodile include: Nile Crocodile, American Crocodile, Freshwater Crocodile, Gharial Crocodile and the American Alligator.
- Male saltwater crocodiles have been recorded at lengths of 23 feet. Females are much smaller, growing to be about 10 feet long. The worlds largest crocodile, Cassius, resides in a wildlife park in Queensland, Australia.
- Saltwater crocodiles communicate using several sounds, including barking, hissing, growling and chirps.
- Crocodiles are as old as dinosaurs. Saltwater Crocodiles are one of the oldest creatures to walk the planet. They first appeared over 240 million years ago, during the time of the dinosaurs. While others have evolved into different shapes and forms, the crocs stuck have stuck to the same structure for the last 200 million years.
- Crocodiles lay eggs. Saltwater Crocodiles breed during the wet season, and females can lay up to 50 eggs, which they build nests for along the nearby river banks. The eggs incubate for around 3 months before hatching. Only 1 per cent of hatchlings survive into adulthood
