Boy's Remains Found In Crocodile's Stomach

A crocodile has snatched and eaten a five-year-old boy in Australia, state police have confirmed.

Jeremy Doble's remains were discovered in the stomach of a four-meter long reptile following DNA tests, ABC News reported Queensland Police as saying Tuesday.

Jeremy vanished from the Daintree River, Queensland while walking with his seven-year-old brother on February 8, police report.

Police say Jeremy disappeared into a mangrove swamp behind the family home after following his dog into flood waters.

His brother, Ryan, saw a large crocodile close to where he went missing, local media report, and raised the alarm.

"Dad jumped in after him, but it was too late," resident Col Patterson told The Courier Mail. "His older brother saw it all and will, no doubt, be haunted by that image."

A statement on the Queensland Police Web site Tuesday said: "Police have been advised that the remains found in a crocodile that was caught in the Daintree are that of a missing five-year-old boy."

Jeremy's family have requested that the animal is not harmed, media report.

"I've been advised that the child's family that they do not want any adverse action against crocodiles in the Daintree," The Courier Mail reported acting police inspector Jason Smith as saying last week. The Daintree region, in the far north-eastern tip of Australia, is popular with eco-tourists.