How many people did this crocodile kill? Children’s shoes found inside the beast that ate South African hotel owner

Several shoes found in its stomach, none belonging to Batista, raise fears the Komati River crocodile was killing for years

When police opened the 15-foot, 500kg crocodile they airlifted from South Africa’s Komati River, they found the remains of missing hotelier Gabriel Batista inside. But what they also found raised an even more disturbing question. Several different shoes, including shoes for children, were recovered from the reptile’s stomach. None of them belonged to Batista.

More than 10 different types of shoes were found, according to Captain Potgieter. Critics have pointed out that the other victims generated no attention, raising uncomfortable questions about whose lives are considered newsworthy in South Africa.

Batista, 59, went missing on April 28 when floodwaters swept his vehicle off a bridge as he attempted to cross the Komati River near Komatipoort to reach his hotel and bar. Police tracked the crocodile for four days using drones, euthanised it, lowered a diver to secure the carcass and airlifted it by helicopter for examination. Batista’s ring was found inside the crocodile, helping to identify him. DNA tests are now underway to confirm the identity of the remains.

How many people did this crocodile kill?

More than 10 different shoes were found in the crocodile’s stomach during examination and none of them belonged to Batista. Since crocodiles cannot digest plastic, the shoes had accumulated over time, raising fears that this crocodile had been killing people along the Komati River for years.

Captain Potgieter said this could indicate the beast had killed other people, but not necessarily, adding: “A crocodile will eat or swallow anything.”

The presence of children’s shoes among the recovered footwear has added a particularly disturbing dimension to the discovery.

Police have now launched a large-scale investigation to match the shoes with missing person reports in the area. Authorities are also considering the possibility that other parts of Batista’s body may be inside other crocodiles in the same river system.

Captain Johan Potgieter, who was lowered by helicopter into the crocodile-infested river to secure the carcass, has been hailed as a hero by the South African Police Service. Batista’s family has decided not to comment until DNA results are released, describing the situation as “a complete nightmare.”

“The family do not want to say anything until the DNA results have been done. It is just terrible and his wife has been here every day with the police diving team. It is a nightmare but at the moment there is no family comment.”

The discovery has gone viral globally after footage of the helicopter airlift and recovery operation spread widely on social media.

The Komati River is home to Nile crocodiles, the largest species in Africa, with some individuals rivalling the saltwater crocodiles of Australia and Southeast Asia. One of the most dangerous reptiles in the world, Nile crocodiles can grow as long as 20 feet and weigh more than 680kg. The species is responsible for several hundred confirmed human deaths per year, although the true number is believed to be higher because many attacks happen in remote areas and are never reported to the authorities.

The discovery of several shoes belonging to what appear to be multiple other victims inside a single crocodile along the Komati River suggests this particular animal had been operating as a silent predator for far longer than anyone knew.