South Dakota

Friends reveal US mom of 2 may have died from ‘medical issue’ before being eaten by shark in Indonesia

Published

1 year ago

October 8, 2024

Friends reveal US mom of 2 may have died from ‘medical issue’ before being eaten by shark in Indonesia

The American tourist who was devoured by a shark in Indonesia is believed to have died from a “medical issue” while diving, her friends told The Post Monday — revealing that she was an experienced deep-sea diver who was “really enjoying life.”

Colleen Monfore, a retired mom of two from Holland, Michigan, was enjoying her dream vacation — a seven-week diving tour with her husband Mike — when tragedy struck on Sept. 26, family pal Rick Sass said.

Just a few days into the trip, Monfore, 68, disappeared during a group dive around Pulau Reong island, north of Timor-Leste and off the coast of the Southwest Maluku Regency. Two weeks later, fishermen in Timor-Leste caught the shark — and cut human remains out of its belly more than 70 miles from where she vanished.

Authorities were able to ID Monfore from the body’s fingerprints, according to Sass, a longtime friend who has been in close contact with the family throughout their harrowing ordeal.

“We do not believe this was a shark attack. Mike thinks she suffered some kind of medical issue in the water,” Sass told The Post.

Sass and his wife Kim – who ran a dive shop together for more than 40 years – examined photos from the dive, spoke with Mike at length about the incident and reviewed data from his dive computer.

The friends are adamant Monfore, who Rick Sass said seems to have been separated from the group when rough waters forced them to turn around, was not killed by a shark. She was around 24 feet down and probably had half a tank of air left, he said.

“There was a down current at the turnaround site, but it was manageable,” Kim Sass wrote in a Facebook post. “I’ve easily done 1000+ dive[s] with this gracious woman … I don’t believe it was the environment and certainly not a shark that ended her life.”

Rick Sass added: “They dove massive numbers of trips with us over 30 years. Bali, Philippines, Bikini Atoll, you name it.

“She knew what she was doing.”

Mike Monfore was already an avid diver when he met Colleen in high school in their native state of South Dakota, and she soon too fell in love with the ocean.

They had two kids and, eventually, four grandkids, but they never stopped traveling the world and exploring the seas together. “They were both retired and really enjoying life,” Rick Sass said.

“We used to call her ‘Saint Colleen.’ She was an amazing woman,” he added. “She loved nature and animals. I know she would have never wanted a shark to be blamed for this tragedy.”

He noted that shark attacks against divers are extremely rare.

“And sharks are not that way. We’ve dove with hammerheads, tiger sharks, bull sharks. You have to give them respect and be cautious, but they won’t just attack you.”

There were only 69 confirmed unprovoked shark bites worldwide last year, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File, and 94% of those were on snorkelers, waders, and surfers. The remaining 6% are categorized as “other.”

It’s not yet clear how exactly Colleen Monfore died. Grisly photos from the scene show the shark in question cut open — with human remains in a black wetsuit nearby.

“The shark was caught but it was not in normal health. I thought it had swallowed plastic or a fishing net,” the fisherman said, according to Asia Pacific Press. “It was cut open to find the problem and inside there were the remains of a woman.”

Rick Sass said her husband has been struggling not only with her death but bringing his wife’s remains back home.

“He’s hardly been sleeping at all, partly because he’s up on the phone with Indonesia, which is a 12-hour time difference,” he said. “He’s answering phone calls in the middle of the night, and talking to us during the day, and not just not being able to sleep because of this horrible thing that happened.”

Indonesian authorities said an investigation is underway.

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South Dakota

Iowa football lands explosive running back L.J. Phillips Jr.

Published

36 minutes ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Iowa football lands explosive running back L.J. Phillips Jr.

IOWA CITY — South Dakota transfer running back L.J. Phillips Jr. has committed to Iowa football, he announced on Jan. 11.

Phillips had a breakout 2025 season, rushing for more than 1,900 yards, along with 19 touchdowns. He also added 28 catches for 195 yards receiving and one touchdown. Phillips was named a second-team FCS All-American by Phil Steele.

Phillips, listed at 5-foot-9 and 225 pounds, will come to Iowa with two seasons of eligibility remaining.

After rushing for more than 4,100 yards in his high school career, Phillips spent three seasons at South Dakota. During his time with the Coyotes, Phillips rushed for nearly 2,220 yards, along with 23 touchdowns. A majority of that production came in 2025. Phillips rushed for 96 yards while maintaining his redshirt in 2023 and then 176 yards as a redshirt freshman in 2024.

But his numbers exploded last season with some ridiculous performances. Phillips rushed 35 times for 301 yards and two touchdowns against Northern Colorado. He had four rushing touchdowns in two separate games. That includes a 244-yard, four-touchdown outing against Murray State. Phillips finished the season averaging 6.5 yards per rush.

Iowa has seen a pair of departures via the transfer portal in its running back room — Jaziun Patterson and Terrell Washington Jr. Patterson ranked third on the Hawkeyes in rushing yards during the 2025 season with 296.

Iowa still projects to have a talented running back room for the 2026 season. Kamari Moulton, who led Iowa with 878 rushing yards last season, still has two seasons of eligibility remaining. Nathan McNeil showed potential in his true freshman season. Xavier Williams tallied 285 yards on the ground as a redshirt freshman.

And now, Iowa adds another weapon to that room in Phillips. The Hawkeyes’ running back unit looks to be stacked entering the 2026 season.

Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com

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South Dakota

Pictures of semi-truck, name of woman released in Minnehaha County fatal crash

Published

13 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Pictures of semi-truck, name of woman released in Minnehaha County fatal crash

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The South Dakota Department of Public Safety has released the name of the woman who was killed in a fatal crash in Minnehaha County last week.

64-year-old Patricia Archambeau of Mitchell died on January 5 due to her injuries in a crash that took place in the early hours of Saturday, January 3.

Archambeau’s 2012 Chevrolet Traverse was traveling eastbound on I-90 near mile marker 379, about four miles west of Humboldt, when she attempted to pull off on the side of the road.

At the same time, the Traverse was struck by a semi-truck, also traveling eastbound, and pulling a trailer. The truck continued driving east after the crash and has yet to be located.

On Sunday, the South Dakota Highway Patrol released two images of the semi-truck suspected of hitting Archambeau’s Traverse. The two photos were taken on I-29 near 41st Street in Sioux Falls at 2:25 a.m., about 12 minutes after the crash west of Humboldt.

The South Dakota Highway Patrol has released two images of a semi-truck believed to be involved in a fatal crash that took place last Saturday in Minnehaha County.(South Dakota Highway Patrol)

Highway Patrol is seeking more information about a red Freightliner Cascadia semi-truck, missing its passenger-side headlight. If anyone has information, they’re asked to contact Highway Patrol at 605-367-5700.

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South Dakota

South Dakota knocks off Denver 82-72

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

VERMILLION, S.D. (AP) — Cameron Fens scored 23 points as South Dakota beat Denver 82-72 on Saturday.

Fens also contributed 12 rebounds and four blocks for the Coyotes (9-9, 1-2 Summit League). Isaac Bruns scored 20 points while going 8 of 12 and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line and added six rebounds. Jordan Crawford went 5 of 11 from the field (3 for 7 from 3-point range) to finish with 13 points.

Gabe Oldham led the Pioneers (8-11, 1-3) in scoring, finishing with 24 points, 13 rebounds and two steals. Denver also got 19 points from Zane Nelson. Carson Johnson also put up 11 points and six assists.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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