The remains of a man who went missing in southern Argentina earlier this month appear to have been found inside a (small) dogfish shark that was caught by local fishermen.

The family of Diego Barría, 32, recognized his remains thanks to a tattoo that was visible. This was confirmed by Daniela Millatruz, the agent in charge of the search. Barría had last been seen near the coast in the southern province of Chubut driving his SUV late on February 18. An intense search was launched to try to locate him.

Early Sunday morning, two fishermen went to the Coast Guard to report that they had caught three sharks near where de Barría’s quad was located “and when they were cleaning it they found human remains in one of them,” Millatruz said.

Last weekend the audios of the fishermen were published by the Argentine newspaper Diario Jornada. “I was so unlucky that I found it. I went fishing and I open the shark’s belly and I found a forearm with a tattoo,” says one of the fishermen in an alleged message that is already viral.

Family members recognized Barría “by a tattoo that appeared on one of those remains,” Millatruz explained. Authorities continue to investigate what exactly happened to Barría.

“We assume that Diego had an accident,” Millatruz said, “and we are investigating whether there was a vehicle involved.” The remains will also undergo DNA tests to officially confirm that they belong to Barría, Cristian Ansaldo, police chief for the city of Comodoro Rivadavia, said in an interview with local media.

The most likely hypothesis investigators are currently working with is that Barría “had an accident and was swept away” out to sea, Ansaldo said, noting that there was a strong tidal wave the weekend he disappeared. “My heart went with you! I love you forever,” Virginia Brugger, identified as Barría’s partner, wrote on social networks.

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