An American tourist named Carol Colleen Monfore went missing while diving on Reong Island, Southwest Maluku, Maluku. After a series of searches, Monfore’s body parts were found in the stomach of a shark.
“Yes, indeed Monfore’s body has been found, but it is no longer intact, only in the form of body parts in the stomach of a shark,” said the Head of Basarnas Ambon, Muhamad Arafah as quoted by detiknews, Wednesday, October 9, 2024.
Monfore’s body parts were found by a fisherman in Liquoica District, Timor Leste, on Sunday, October 6. The fisherman was initially fishing near the waters of Reong Island, where Monfore was reported missing.
The 68-year-old woman was enjoying a diving trip with six friends around Reong Island, Indonesia. Monfore was known to have been swept away by a strong current on September 26, but the tour guide was unable to pull her back to the seafront.
It was previously reported that Monfore went missing on September 26, 2024, in the waters of Reong Island, North Aru Subdistrict, Southwest Maluku Regency, Maluku. Search efforts that lasted more than a week were fruitless.
On October 3, after coordinating with Basarnas (National Search and Rescue Agency) Ambon, Maluku Province, Basarnas Kalabahi standby, NTT Province, finally declared the search operation for foreigners on behalf of Carol Collen Monfore over at 15:30 WIT.
Timeline of American Tourist’s Disappearance on Reong Island, Maluku
The incident began when Monfore and her husband, Mike, visited Maluku to enjoy a dream vacation. She was on a seven-week diving tour when she suddenly disappeared on September 26, 2024.
Monfore disappeared during a group dive around Reong Island, which is located between northern East Timor and off the coast of Southwest Maluku Regency.
Family friend Rick Sass believes that the retired woman from Holland, Michigan, did not die from being eaten by a shark. It is believed she died of a ‘medical issue’ while diving, as Monfore was known as an experienced diver.
“We don’t believe this was a shark attack. Mike suspects he suffered a medical problem in the water,” Sass told The Post Monday, quoted by the NY Post, Tuesday, October 8, 2024.
Rick emphasized that shark attacks on divers are very rare. “We dive with hammerhead sharks, tiger sharks, and bull sharks. You have to give them respect and be careful, but they won’t just attack you,” he said.
cover Photo by ROMAN ODINTSOV/Pexels
