Human Remains Found Inside Crocodiles in Search for Missing Man

Human remains have been found inside two enormous crocodiles believed to have been involved in the disappearance of fisherman and publican Kevin Darmody on Saturday afternoon.

The crocodiles—measuring 13.5 feet and 9 feet respectively—were caught and euthanized upstream of where the Queenslander went missing, along Cape York's Kennedy River, on Monday. The reptiles were then sent for a necropsy.

"Police believe the remains are those of the missing 65-year-old Laura man, pending the formal identification process," Queensland Police said in a statement.

According to police reports, emergency services were called to the Kennedy Bend camping ground in Far North Queensland, Australia, on April 29 at approximately 3:30 p.m. local time.

"The missing man's friend, who was nearby, indicates the man was fishing on the banks of the Kennedy River when there were splashing noises and he disappeared," the Department of Environment and Science said in a statement on Sunday afternoon.

Queensland's estuaries are home to between 20,000 and 30,000 crocodiles, the Queensland Government estimated in a recent report. Of those, roughly 20 percent can be found along a short stretch of the northeastern coastline, an area which includes Lakefield, where Darmody disappeared.

Crocodile attacks on humans are rare, with only four fatal attacks being reported in Queensland in the last decade, according to the Department of Environment and Science. However, the government has seen an increase in non-fatal attacks in recent years.

The Queensland Department of Environment and Science actively monitors crocodile populations and sightings and may remove any animals that pose a significant threat to the local community.

Since Darmody's disappearance, tributes have poured in for the missing publican.

"My good mate Kevin Darmody from the Laura Hotel has been taken by a croc while fishing in the Kennedy River," said his friend, George Kerridge, in a post to the Facebook group To The Cape York And Back Information. "I am told by his brother that three of them where fishing at the same spot and it seems the croc came out of nowhere behind them and took him into the river!"

Kerridge's post has received hundreds of comments from users sharing their condolences.

"A top bloke, gr8 cook, fisherman & publican who will be missed in the Cape, RIP Kev," said Greg Christensen.

"That is horrendous! Deepest condolences for family and friends," said Brett Antony Damarell.

The Queensland Police have said that the search for Darmody's body has now been called off and a report will be prepared for the coroner once the remains have been formally identified.