Missing Female Diver's Remains Found Inside Shark, Friend Insists 'Death Wasn't An Attack'

The remains of a missing American woman, Colleen Monfore, have reportedly been found inside a shark’s stomach off the coast of Indonesia. Monfore, 68, had vanished during a diving trip near Pulau Redang island on September 26. After nearly two weeks, a fisherman caught a distressed shark, which, upon examination, was found to contain what are believed to be Monfore’s remains, as well as her wetsuit and bathing suit. Initial reports suggested the missing woman may have been attacked by the shark.

However, her friend Kim Sass, in a Facebook post, refuted these claims. Sass, who described Monfore as her “very good friend," shared details pointing to a different cause of death, possibly related to a medical issue that occurred while Monfore was diving. According to Sass, the fisherman caught the shark on October 4, near Timor-Leste, about 70 miles from the dive site where Monfore disappeared.

Sass pointed out that Monfore’s body was still identifiable, which, in her view, makes it unlikely that the shark consumed her at the time she went missing. Sass explained that a shark’s stomach acid is strong enough to dissolve metal and prevent large objects from passing through its digestive system, which suggests Monfore’s remains were consumed post mortem.

“Colleen’s body was identifiable. Her fingerprints (again identifiable) are being used by our US Embassy and the local government for proof of death. This would not be possible if the shark had attacked her weeks ago," Sass wrote.

Sass also shared that dive records, photos and witness accounts from the group’s dive master and two other divers indicate Monfore was in 24 feet of water when they decided to turn back due to a shift in the current. She noted that Monfore had around half a tank of air left and was a highly experienced diver. “I’ve easily done 1000+ dives with this gracious woman; she was an excellent diver. I don’t believe it was the environment and certainly not a shark that ended her life," Sass added.

She further mentioned, “It has been a horrible 2 weeks for her family and for us, her friends. Her body was finally found several days ago and the media is saying it was a shark attack. The evidence says this is false."

As of now, the exact cause of Colleen Monfore’s death is still unknown.