It appears that the remains of a man who disappeared in southern Argentina earlier this month have been found inside a school shark captured by local fishermen.
Daniela Milatrose, the law enforcement officer in charge of the search, told local media that the family of Diego Barilla, 32, identified his remains because of a tattoo that was visible. Paria was last seen near the coast in the southern province of Chubut riding his all-terrain vehicle late on February 18.
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The destroyed craft was located on February 20 on a beach near Rocas Coloradas, but there was no sign of Paria and an intense search was launched to try to locate the father-of-three.
Early Sunday morning, two fishermen went to the Coast Guard to report that three sharks had been caught at the school near the site of the Barría ATV “And when they were cleaning it up, they found human remains in one of them,” Milatrose said. She added that the family members recognized Priya “because of the tattoos that appeared on one of those remains.” Officials continue to investigate what exactly happened to Paria.
“We assume that Diego had an accident, and we are investigating if there was a car involved,” Milatrose said.
The remains will also undergo a DNA test to officially confirm that they belong to Barría, Cristian Ansaldo, chief of the police department in the city of Comodoro Rivadavia, said in an interview with local media.
The school shark, where the human remains were found, was about 5 feet tall, Ansaldo said.
The most likely hypothesis investigators are currently working with is that Priya “had an accident and was dragged in,” Ansaldo said, citing a tidal wave the weekend when he disappeared.
Virginia Brugger, who has been identified as Barría’s partner and has been posting updates on the search on social mediahe wrote on Facebook last week: “The kids are already asking you!…. We are waiting for you.”
After the remains were found, Brueger wrote: “My heart went with you! I love you forever.”
According to the Florida MuseumThe school shark, also known as the top shark, is “a powerful swimmer that can travel 35 miles a day and is found from the open sea all the way on the beach to the surf spot.” Considered a vulnerable species, it can grow to over 6 feet in length, and generally feeds on small bony fishes and invertebrates.
Because of its relatively small size and preference for small prey, the schooling shark is considered harmless to humans. However, according to International Shark Attack Fileone unprovoked attack on a human being has been attributed to this species.
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