Bizarre autopsy finding over how German sailor was petrified on boat

Bizarre autopsy finding over how German sailor was petrified on boat

Mangalore Today News Network

March 05, 2016: When fishermen found the body of Manfred Fritz Bajorat still seated at a desk in the cabin of his partially submerged 44-foot boat, about 60 miles off the coast of Surigao del Sur, in the Phillippines, he was somummified it was initially believed his corpse could have been sailing the ocean for up to seven years as the last reported sighting of him was in 2009.
 

But an autopsy report released yesterday has concluded he died of a heart attack as recently as just seven days ago.

Police have also now ruled out any foul play involved after initially considering the possibility amid claims food and personal items had been tampered with.

Phillippines national police spokesman Chief Superintendent Wilben Mayor said: "The cause of death is acute myocardial infarction based on the autopsy by the regional crime

laboratory.

"The German national is estimated to have been dead for more or less seven days."

Forensics experts explained a combination of tropical heat, dry wind, and salty sea air can quickly preserve or mummify a corpse, with the process

happening more quickly on thinner people.

Forensic Egyptologist Dr Janet Davey from the Department of Forensic Medicine at Monash University said it was entirely possible.

She said: "All that you need is the right conditions so the body does not decompose.

"For a body to mummify naturally (different to the ancient Egyptians, who mummified bodies artificially), the conditions need to be dry and with a bit of a breeze going through.

"It also helps when the body is in an enclosed area so insects do not attack the body."

The 59-year-old veteran yachtsman was found by two fishermen at the weekend who thought he looked like he may have ben trying to make a mayday call on radio equipment next to him.

His body was also next to photographs of and a haunting letter to his wife, Claudia, who died from cancer in 2010. The couple split in 2008.

Paperwork on board identified him, but this is still to be done officially by daughter Nina, who is flying out from Germany.

The mast of the boat was broken, but it is still not clear if this happened before or after his death.

Initially, the last known sighting of him was in Mallorca in 2009, when he met another sailer called Dieter.