The remains of an Argentine male who went missing near the coast earlier this month were discovered inside the stomach of a shark.

A distinctive tattoo on his arm let family members identify him.

Diego Alejandro Barria, 32, was last seen alive on February 18 while operating his all-terrain vehicle (ATV) near the coast of Argentina’s Southern Chubut Province.

The man did not come home that day, and his wrecked ATV was discovered on a Rocas Coloradas beach a couple of days later, with his helmet nearby but no sign of him.

Police in Argentina initiated a thorough search for Barria, a father of three. Virginia Brugger, his wife, thanked everyone participating in the search for her husband and begged them to return him to her.

Six days later, three fishermen made a heartbreaking find. They were fishing near where the man’s ATV was discovered and caught three dogfish, a type of shark. They contacted the coast guard and informed them that they had discovered human remains inside a shark’s stomach.

The remains were transferred to a local morgue, where the family’s worst fears were realized, according to police officer Daniela Millatruz, who was in charge of the search. Family recognized the remains by the characteristic tattoo on the arm, but DNA tests are needed to establish that the remains are truly Barria’s.

A pair of sunglasses determined to be Barria’s were discovered on the beach just hours before the grisly discovery.

Although the specific cause of his death has not been confirmed, Civil Protection spokesperson José Mazzei stated that the police had two ideas. The initial assumption was that Barria was injured and somehow ended up in the water, and the second hypothesis was that he was knocked unconscious following his ATV accident and was dragged into the sea by severe tidal waves, which were observed in the area at the time of his disappearance.