Body parts found in shark belong to missing boater who swam for shore

by Des Ryan on 17 Sep 2010 It happened to a fisherman, but it could just as easily have been a sailor, and the message is clear. In times of trouble, stay with the boat and don't be tempted to swim for shore.

Two fishermen who disappeared while trying to swim for shore, leaving their friends in the boat, were almost certainly both taken by sharks, after some body parts found in a 3.6metre (12ft) tiger shark appear to belong to one of the men.

It has been now confirmed by police that fingerprints match those of Judson Newton, who swam for shore with his friend Franklin Roosevelt Brown after his boat broke down in August.

In a bizarre and horrific turn of events, the shark was then caught by an investment banker who was deep-sea fishing.

Six days had elapsed before the fishing trip of the banker, who made the grizzly discovery on the 4th September.

Whilst reeling it in, he said he saw a leg poking out of the shark's mouth. After cutting the creature open, defence force officers found a torso, two severed arms, and a right leg.

Authorities say they are still waiting for DNA tests to confirm they belong to Newton.

The 43-year-old had been out boating with friends off New Providence Island in the Bahamas on 29 August when their boat stalled. He and one other friend decided to swim to land to find help, but neither were seen again.

The three other men were found safe and well aboard the boat by a rescue crew. They had put out a distress call.

Samuel Woodside, one of Newton's friends, said Newton was a 'strong swimmer', so he had been surprised when he had been told that his friend had probably drowned.

He said that Newton would go fishing most weekends to different spots. 'Anywhere where he could get a fishing line, he would go there,' he told AP.

New Providence Island was used for filming some scenes of The Revenge, the last in the Jaws series, in 1987