Luan Boya River: Body of missing mother Jusmitawati found in jaws of crocodile after brutal attack
Her husband rushed to the river bank when he heard she was missing, but no one could find her.
WARNING: GRAPHIC DETAILS
Terrifying video footage has captured the moment a giant crocodile surfaced from river waters with the body of a missing mother between its jaws.
Locals could be heard screaming as the nearly 6m long creature writhed around in the Luan Boya River in Indonesia on February 15.
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Tragically despite these efforts, the 36-year-old victim identified as Jusmitawati was killed in the brutal attack.
In the minutes before the crocodile lunged at her, the young mother had been collecting shellfish with her friends before she separated from the group and moved into deeper water.
It is understood that the crocodile, which had been concealed by the murky water, suddenly grabbed Jusmitawati and dragged her below the surface.
Her friends began calling out her name to find her, but after she failed to reply they raised the alarm with locals in the nearby village.
Many rushed to the scene to help, including Jusmitawati’s concerned husband, but they couldn’t see her anywhere, Daily Mail reported.
A second clip then revealed the horror that had unfolded underwater, as the crocodile partially surfaced with the 36-year-old’s dismembered body in its mouth.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW
To recover her body and find the crocodile, a search operation was undertaken and continued into the following day.
After a day of searching, a team captured the crocodile and it was cut open, News18 reported. Officials have since confirmed that parts of Jusmitawati’s body were found inside.
Zainur Fauzi, the police chief of the surrounding area Teluk Dalam, told locals to avoid the river entirely until more safety measures could be implemented to protect them.
Even though it is well known that the Luan Boya River is full of crocodiles, it is still used by locals daily for fishing.
The tragedy comes after a 10-year-old boy was killed by a crocodile while swimming with his friends in North Maluku’s Inggoi River.
Identified only as Affan, the boy was grabbed by the creature on December 16 and pulled beneath the surface.
His two friends swam quickly back to shore to alert authorities but tragically the boy did not survive the attack.
It took until December 18 for the crocodile to be found alongside the Affan’s body, which was returned to his devastated family, The Sun reported.
Indonesia is home to 14 types of crocodiles and has been struggling with large numbers of attacks.
In 2024 there were 179 recorded crocodile attacks, 92 of which were fatalities. This is the highest number of attacks in any country in the world.
