No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsCrimeHuman head found in Costa Rica river likely belongs to Nicaraguan man...

Human head found in Costa Rica river likely belongs to Nicaraguan man attacked by crocodiles

A human head washed ashore on the banks of the Tárcoles River, near Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast, on Thursday morning and was recovered by agents from the Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ). OIJ officials said it likely belonged to Omar de Jesús Jirón, a 32-year-old Nicaraguan man who was eaten by crocodiles after attempting to swim in the river on Tuesday.

Forensics specialists are now analyzing DNA to confirm the identity.

According to an OIJ incident report, Jirón and co-worker Victor Brénes were fired from their jobs as construction workers at the Parrita Hospital Tuesday afternoon. Jirón and Brénes then boarded a bus and began drinking alcohol. When the bus stopped near the Tárcoles bridge, both Jirón and Brénes exited the bus – or were removed by the bus driver – and Jirón reportedly told Brénes he wanted to go for a swim.

According to testimony from Brénes, Jirón headed to the riverbank and began removing his clothes, which were recovered from the scene. Despite warnings from Brénes, Jirón swam out into the water where he was quickly pursued by at least six crocodiles before he was attacked, dismembered and pulled under the water. Conflicting statements from other witnesses on the bridge say Jirón jumped from the bridge, which the Red Cross told The Tico Times in several previous statements.

Trending Now

Costa Rica Defeats Nicaragua 4-1 in World Cup Push

Costa Rica delivered a strong performance last night, defeating Nicaragua 4-1 in their Concacaf World Cup qualifier at the National Stadium. The result marks...

Trump Says He Will End US Aid to Colombia as Tensions Spike

United States President Donald Trump on Sunday accused his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, of tolerating drug production and announced he would end “large-scale payments...

Trump Authorizes CIA Ops in Venezuela as US Weighs Land Strikes

United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday authorized CIA operations against Venezuela and said he was considering carrying out ground attacks against drug cartels...

What Camera Traps Miss Chasing Jaguars in Costa Rica

Five years ago, I began my journey using camera traps in wildlife monitoring projects in Costa Rica. A few years after that I began...

Costa Rica’s Blue Carpet event unites Leaders for Ocean Innovation and Tourism

On Friday, the Costa Rican Fishing Federation (FECOP) held the second edition of La Alfombra Azul, an event created to celebrate innovation, science, and...

El Salvador Rolls Out Bitcoin Bonds Amid Crypto Surge

El Salvador has pushed forward with its bold experiment in cryptocurrency, launching Bitcoin-backed bonds that tie the nation's finances directly to the volatile world...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica