Mummified Body of Missing Man Found on Drifting Yacht

This morbidly fascinating story is all over Facebook this week – a fisherman came across a yacht with a broken sail drifting off the coast of Barobo in the Philippines, and when he boarded the crippled vessel he found the mummified body of a man who disappeared as much as seven years ago.

Fair warning: that potentially upsetting image is at the bottom of this article.

The man, identified as 59-year-old German explorer Manfred Fritz Bajorat, was sitting by the radio of the yacht, leading some to wonder if he was about to call for help. But a forensic criminologist said the way he was seated could indicate an unexpected death, possibly from a heart attack.

A combination of dry ocean winds, heat and salty air preserved the body. Nobody really knows when he died or how long he was drifting before he was found.

The image of Bajorat’s body, which is drawing criticism from people who feel it should not have been released to the public, is below.