Hotel boss eaten by crocodile is identified after hero cop is lowered into predator-infested river t

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Hotel boss eaten by crocodile is identified after hero cop is lowered into predator-infested river to grab the killer… before victim's remains and SIX pairs of shoes are cut out of its stomach

Daily Mail
By JAMIE PYATT
5 May 2026

The hotel boss who was eaten by a crocodile in South Africa has been identified and pictured after the animal, with his remains inside it, was dramatically airlifted from a river island by a police dive team.

The remains of Gabriel Batista, 59, were found inside the half-ton carnivore after its belly was sliced open having been lowered to the ground in Kruger National Park.

Police investigating the incident at the town of Komatipoort in Mpumalanga Province also found six pairs of shoes inside the crocodile's stomach.

The field necropsy carried out by South African Police Captain Joey Potgieter led to the macabre discovery of two severed arms with hands still attached, half a rib cage and chest flesh.

DNA taken from the body confirmed that the remains were those of Batista, who had been tragically swept away in raging floodwaters.

None of the shoes belonged to the victim, leading to fears that the crocodile was a rogue maneater that had killed or eaten many drowning victims in the river over recent years.

Crocodiles cannot digest plastic according to wildlife experts hence the discovery of shoes including flip flops, sandals, Nike trainers and high heels.

A full investigation is now underway to try to link the shoes to missing locals or villagers who use the often flooded bridge either on foot or by car and had been swept away.

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https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15791025/Hotel-boss-eaten-crocodile-identified-hero-cop-lowered-predator-infested-river-grab-killer-victims-remains-SIX-pairs-shoes-cut-stomach.html