The remains of a missing Brazilian businessman have been found in the stomach of a caiman.

Davi Reis went missing on 23rd November when he told loved ones that he had been invited on a boat trip on the Parana do Ramos River in the Brazilian state of Amazonas.

However, when he failed to arrive home that day, his family alerted the local authorities and the boat he had been on was found by divers near the community of Sao Francisco Xavier in the municipality of Barreirinha the following day.

The search team stopped looking for Reis at 5pm on Friday 26th November, but his family and friends continued on their own and, at some point, spotted a large caiman in the area of Boca das Piranhas, which they decided to capture.

They sliced open the animal and found human body parts in its stomach, according to local reports.

The authorities travelled to the location to take the remains away for analysis. However, loved ones said they knew the body parts belonged to Reis.

According to the news site ContilNet Noticias, eyewitnesses reported on 23rd November that they saw the boat and then heard a loud noise similar to a gunshot, after which the vessel started to capsize and take on water.

When they went over to help, they reportedly saw two men swimming to the shore and running off into the undergrowth as soon as they reached dry land.

All that was left behind were a few objects floating on the surface from the sunken boat.

It is suspected that the two men had been fighting with Reis on board the boat, with the businessman then falling into the river following the loud noise and vanishing under the water.

The eyewitnesses told the authorities that they suspect the two men on the boat were pirates and might still be hiding in the area.

The police have confirmed that they are aware of the eyewitnesses’ account, and are investigating the businessman’s death as suspicious.