A father-of-two who was reported missing by his family was killed by a crocodile in central Mexico.
Authorities recovered the remains of Eduardo Rodríguez , 29, out of a lagoon in Villahermosa, Tabasco on Tuesday.
A video filmed by a bystander showed moment the reptile pulled Rodríguez under.
A bystander told local new outlets that he was walking near the lake when he spotted two crocodiles fighting over Rodríguez’s body as residents sought out a way to rescue him.
The man recalled how the bigger crocodile dragged Rodríguez downstream in the Lagoon of Illusions and later overpowered multiple reptiles that attempted to wrestle the body away from it.
A Tabasco state Civil Defense unit initiated a search after authorities were alerted and recovered Rodríguez’s torso while some of his other limbs were found floating in the lagoon.
Authorities have not said how Rodríguez ended up in the lagoon.
Rodríguez was last seen Sunday night and was reported missing by his family on Monday.
Local outlets reported that Rodríguez’s loved ones became increasingly worried about his whereabout because of his addictions.
Rodríguez was a native of San Cristobal de las Casas, a municipality of about 183,000 residents in the southern state of Chiapas.
Before the vicious attack, he had moved to Villahermosa for better opportunities.
Although he was unable to find a full-time employment, Rodríguez often worked alongside his brothers cleaning car windshields.
Villahermosa authorities have reported at least five crocodile attacks in the last four years.
In August 29, locals rescued a homeless man who was bit by a crocodile while he was bathing on the shores of the Lagoon of Illusions.
Earlier in the month, a Cancún tour guide stunned tourists on a boat by grabbing a crocodile’s tail.
The careless guide kept his hand in the water to motion the reptile to get closer to the group.
The beast got near the boat apparently looking to be fed when it turned and began to drift away.
In July, Mexican authorities recovered and relocated more than 200 crocodiles who were spotted wandering across several northern border cities across after Hurricane Beryl made landfall.
Heavy rains caused water levels to rise in coastal lagoons, allowing the reptiles to crawl into Tamaulipas and the nearby cities of Ciudad Madero and Altamira.