An 8-year-old boy was killed by a huge crocodile as he played in a river near his Costa Rica home.
Julio Otero Fernandez (the young victim) was decapitated and dragged into the Matina River, in the city Limon, on Oct. 30. He would not be seen alive again.
On Saturday, almost one month after the child’s horrific death, an unknown hunter shot and killed the crocodile. Locals found inside the stomach of the beast strands hair and bone fragments that they believe belonged to Julio when they cut it open.
The 8 year old died while fishing with his siblings and parents.
Julio, who was in knee-deep water in a river at around 2 p.m. on October 30, was approached by a large crocodile.
The brutal attack was described by an eyewitness: “It shook him [the child] and ripped off his little hair.” “Then it grasped him again, and dragged his under.”
Margini Fernandez Flowers Flores, Don Julio Otero Flores and Marginifernandez Flores watched as Julio was being slaughtered by the reptile.
Otero explained that Otero’s wife found it difficult to watch her husband see the crocodile floating away with her son’s body.
According to the father, the scaly predator returned more than an hours later holding his child’s head in its jaws. The father claimed that officers responding to the scene refused fire on the animal and said they didn’t have the authority to do so.
Otero explained that Otero felt “abandoned by the authorities” for his part. “An animal has more value than a person, that’s what i’ve felt.”
The couple had moved from Nicaragua to Costa Rica four years ago with their family in order to work at a banana plantation.
The parents plan to return to Costa Rica with their four remaining children aged 3-16 years, to keep them safe against crocodiles.
Flores, Julio’s mom, said, “I won’t stay here because these animals are protected and they can leave the river to attack additional people.”
At this point, it is not known who killed the crocodile. After shooting the reptile the hunter fled, which is illegal in the Caribbean.
Julio’s mother confirmed Julio’s discovery of hair and bone in the dead crocodile carcass.
“The animal is dead. Flores said that for her, it is a great relief to have it killed. “I wish that they would kill them all, so no family has to experience such pain again.”
The local authorities received the remains of the victim for DNA testing.