Body parts found in shark feared to be missing man

A MAN last seen off Jaws Beach in the Bahamas - on an island where one of the Jaws movies was filmed - is probably the same person whose remains were found in the belly of a shark, police revealed yesterday.

Authorities used fingerprints to identify Judson Newton, although they are still waiting for DNA test results, assistant police commissioner Hulan Hanna said yesterday.

It is unclear if Mr Newton was conscious when eaten by the shark.

He had gone on a boating trip with friends off Jaws Beach, New Providence Island on 29 August and encountered engine trouble. Rescuers who responded to a call for help found three men aboard who said Mr Newton and a friend had jumped into the water to try to swim back to shore. Officials launched a search but neither man was found.

On 4 September, a local investment banker caught a 12ft tiger shark while on a deep-sea fishing trip. He said a left leg popped out of its mouth as he reeled it on board.

When officers with the island's defence force cut the shark open, they found the right leg, two severed arms and a severed torso.

The beach is on the small island where the 1987 shark-terror sequel film Jaws: The Revenge was in part filmed. The capital, Nassau, is also on the island.