Jane Hogbin recalled the heroic final act performed by her husband, David, moments before he was reportedly eaten by a crocodile.
Australian authorities believe that the body of a 40-year-old man found inside a crocodile’s stomach is that of a missing father of three. The man's wife shared with News.com.au her husband's heroic final act which saved her life.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, police in Queensland confirmed they had found a human cadaver inside of a crocodile and are conducting a “formal identification process” to “determine a positive identity” of the deceased. However, police believe the remains belong to “missing 40-year-old New South Wales man” Dave Hogbin.
Hogbin was fishing while on a camping trip with his wife and their three sons at the Annan River when he suddenly fell into the river after a portion of the bank collapsed into the water.
Hogbin’s wife, Jane, was nearby and tried to pull her husband to safety but was forced to let go once she began slipping into the river.
“He saved me—his last act was to not pull me in with him,” Jane said. “I’m glad I’m still here, because it could have been a millionfold worse for everyone involved, not just the boys.”
“Initial investigations indicate the man had been fishing on the riverbank when he fell into the water and failed to resurface,” police explained, adding that they received a report at around 2 p.m. local time alerting them that a man “had been taken by a crocodile.”
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that a crocodile was seen in the area prior to the unidentified victim’s disappearance.
Hogbin’s wife wants to “put a face to this tragedy—someone didn’t just get killed by a crocodile, we have lost a wonderful husband, father, son, brother, friend, and doctor,” Jane said. “David touched so many people’s lives that everyone deserves to know who he was and how it all ended for him.”
