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

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1 month ago

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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.

Michigan woman Colleen Monfore was eaten by sharks while divining during a vacation in Indonesia in September. Asia Pacific Press via ViralPress
A local fisherman found Monfore’s remains in a shark. Asia Pacific Press via ViralPress

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.

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“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.

Part of Monfore’s remains that were discovered in the shark that was captured two weeks later. Asia Pacific Press via ViralPress

“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.

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“She knew what she was doing.”

Monfore is believed to have had a “medical episode” while diving. Kim Sass/Facebook

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. 

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“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.

A rescue team searching for Monfore after she went missing. Asia Pacific Press via ViralPress

“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.

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“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

Badgers women’s basketball crushed on glass in blowout loss to South Dakota State

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5 hours ago

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November 13, 2024

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Badgers women’s basketball crushed on glass in blowout loss to South Dakota State


South Dakota State proved it would be a tough nonconference matchup for the Badgers women’s basketball team when it upset No. 21 Creighton on Friday. In that game, the Jackrabbits dominated the Bluejays on the glass and in the paint.

They did the same to the Badgers, who lost 79-57 Wednesday night in Brookings, S.D.

Wisconsin (2-1) was crushed on the boards 42-22. The Jackrabbits (3-0) had 15-second chance points, while the Badgers had zero. Wisconsin was also outscored in the paint 40-32. The physical Jackrabbits proved too much.

South Dakota State outscored the Badgers in all four quarters, and Wisconsin ended the game on a three-minute scoring drought. The Badgers shot OK from the field, shooting 41%, but struggled from 3-point range, hitting just 27% from deep.

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Sarah Williams was effective for the Badgers with 19 points and nine rebounds, and Ronnie Porter had 11 points and four assists. But no other Wisconsin players finished in double figures, and the bench only strung together seven points.

The Jackrabbits, meanwhile, got 28 points from their reserves.

Five South Dakota State players in all finished in double figures. Haleigh Timmer, Brooklyn Meyer and Mesa Byom finished with 13 points each, Paige Meyer added 11 and Kate Vasecka contributed 10. Five players had at least four rebounds.

Among positives for the Badgers was they won the turnover battle with just 11 to South Dakota State’s 14. They took advantage of those turnovers, too, scoring 12 points off them, while the Jackrabbits scored just four off turnovers.

But that wasn’t nearly enough to overcome the disparity on the glass. The Badgers will look to bounce back on Sunday when they host Milwaukee for a 2 p.m. tipoff at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.

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South Dakota

US Senate Republicans choose Senator John Thune as majority leader

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13 hours ago

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November 13, 2024

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US Senate Republicans choose Senator John Thune as majority leader


U.S. Senate Republicans on Wednesday chose Senator John Thune to serve as majority leader when they retake control of the chamber next year.

In a secret ballot, the South Dakota senator beat Senators John Cornyn and Rick Scott to assume the mantle of Republican leadership that Mitch McConnell has held for the past 18 years.

Thune told reporters the November 5 election was a mandate from the American people “to work with this president on an agenda that unwinds a lot of the damage of the Biden Harris Schumer agenda and puts in place new policies that will move our country forward in a different direction.”

The 63-year-old Thune was elected to the Senate in 2004 and currently holds the Number 2 spot in Republican leadership, serving as minority whip. He is perceived as a more mainstream choice than Scott, a hard-line conservative and close ally of President-elect Donald Trump.

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McConnell said in a statement that Thune’s “election is a clear endorsement of a consummate leader. The confidence our colleagues have placed in John’s legislative experience and political skill is well deserved.”

Thune received 23 votes to Cornyn’s 15 and Scott’s 13. He will serve as Senate majority leader for at least the next two years.

Republicans will hold at least 52 seats in the 100-person U.S. Senate. Votes in the Pennsylvania Senate race are still being counted.

“I look forward to working with him,” current Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement. “We’ve done many bipartisan things here in the Senate together and I hope that continues. As you know, I strongly believe that bipartisanship is the best and often the only way to get things done in the Senate.”

Trump has floated the idea of bypassing the normal hearing process for Cabinet appointees, a significant departure from the Constitutional role of the U.S. Senate.

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“The Senate has an advise and consent role in the Constitution, so we will do everything we can to process his nominations quickly and get them installed in their position so they can begin to implement his agenda,” Thune told reporters after his election.

Trump endorsed Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on Wednesday, saying he should serve as leader in the 119th Congress. With vote counting still underway in some states, Republicans hold a slim majority over Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Trump also had a unified government, with Republican control of both the Senate and the House, during the first two years of his first term as president.



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South Dakota

What’s next for Noem and South Dakota?

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21 hours ago

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November 13, 2024

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What’s next for Noem and South Dakota?


SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – President-elect Donald Trump has selected Governor Kristi Noem as his Homeland Security Secretary, meaning a change in leadership will likely be coming to South Dakota soon.

If Noem is seated as Secretary, she would be the first Governor in nearly 30 years to not complete two terms in office.

In 1993, Governor George Mickelson was killed in an airplane crash, leading Lieutenant Governor Walter Dale Miller to finish his term.

Noem’s cabinet nomination will need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The selection, with Republicans having the majority, will likely be approved.

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“I don’t expect any real and substantial opposition to her confirmation by the Senate. The issue is time,” Michael Card, University of South Dakota Political Science Professor Emeritus said.

Noem’s appointment, if conducted by the Senate, would not happen until next year when the new session of Congress begins. However, President Trump has been calling for whoever receives the vote for Senate Majority Leader on Wednesday to “agree to Recess Appointments,” in which he would be able to install nominees without Senate confirmation.

Noem would then be able to quickly use her experience in South Dakota and try to fulfill a Trump campaign promise and secure the southern border, one of the many responsibilities of the position.

“I think in a lot of states, the Mexican cartels have been targeting the reservations because they are sovereign nations. I’m hoping that we take that awareness and we can really work on those issues from a national standpoint,” Rep. Kevin Jensen of Canton said.

With Noem heading to Washington, Lieutenant Governor Larry Rhoden will likely fill her position as governor and finish her term, which ends in early 2027.

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Representative Jensen, who will serve as a Majority Whip in next year’s legislative session, expects a smooth transition for Noem’s exit.

“Governor Rhoden, if that happens, would likely keep the same staff. He would probably only make changes if they were directly not in favor of changes he would like to make,” Jensen said.

Rhoden will have his own policy plans to work through, but he may bring a fresh perspective for a likely very busy 2025 legislative session.

“I wouldn’t underestimate the challenges with the newly elected legislative leadership. We know they were going to have some real battles with Governor Noem. This may just dissipate those,” Card said.

Those leadership positions were announced over the weekend, you can find all of the appointments here.

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