River Monsters

I'M JEREMY WADE.

FOR 30 YEARS, I'VE BEEN FISHING FOR EVIDENCE

TO PIECE TOGETHER THE STORIES

BEHIND MYSTERIOUS FRESHWATER DEATHS.

TRACKING DOWN THE PERPETRATORS...

WHEREVER THEY'RE HIDING.

AND THERE'S ONE PLACE THAT KEEPS CALLING ME BACK,

A PLACE WITH MORE THAN ITS FAIR SHARE

OF LETHAL BEASTS...

THE AMAZON.

NOW, OVER THE COURSE OF AN ENTIRE YEAR,

I'M DELVING DEEPER INTO THIS WILDERNESS THAN EVER BEFORE.

AS ALWAYS, I'M LOOKING OUT FOR AN UNUSUAL TALE,

AN UNEXPLAINED ATTACK

THAT COULD LEAD ME TO A NEW MONSTER.

SO, WHEN A CORPSE WASHES UP

COVERED IN EXTRAORDINARY BRUISES,

I START MY SEARCH FOR AN UNDERWATER KILLER.

THIS COULD BE THE SCARIEST RIVER MONSTER

I'VE EVER COME UP AGAINST.

BUT THE ONLY WAY TO CONFRONT THIS BEAST

IS IN ITS OWN ELEMENT.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

I'VE BEEN EXPLORING THE AMAZON FOR 20 YEARS.

IT'S A RIVER THAT HAS MESMERIZED ME WITH ITS SPLIT PERSONALITY.

ONE MOMENT, IT CAN SUSTAIN YOU.

THEN, IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE,

IT CAN TRANSFORM INTO SOMETHING DEADLY.

I'VE SEEN INJURIES INFLICTED BY MANY UNDERWATER ASSAILANTS.

AND THE BITES OR STAB WOUNDS LEFT ON VICTIMS

CAN BE LIKE A GRISLY CALLING CARD...

AAH!

...GIVING ME A DEFINITE ID.

BUT I'VE JUST HEARD ABOUT A BODY THAT WAS FOUND

IN THE NORTHEASTERN PART OF THE AMAZON

THAT HAD VERY DIFFERENT INJURIES.

REPORTS SAID THE MAN'S TORSO WAS COVERED WITH BRUISES

LIKE NOTHING ANYBODY HAD SEEN BEFORE.

NO ONE KNOWS HOW HE DIED,

BUT THEY'RE BLAMING IT ON SOMETHING IN THE RIVER.

THESE MYSTERIOUS INJURIES COULD BE THE SIGNATURE

OF A NEW FRESHWATER KILLER,

SOMETHING I'VE NOT YET ENCOUNTERED.

I HAVE TO FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON.

THE EPICENTER OF THIS MYSTERY

IS A PLACE I'VE NEVER BEEN BEFORE,

THE TOWN OF PORTO DE MOZ IN BRAZIL.

THIS ISOLATED TOWN WAS FIRST ESTABLISHED IN THE LATE 1800s

DURING THE AMAZON'S RUBBER BOOM.

WHEN THIS INDUSTRY COLLAPSED IN THE EARLY 20th CENTURY,

THE PLACE BECAME A LAWLESS OUTPOST.

IT'S NOW A HUB FOR ILLEGAL LOGGERS.

I SPEAK THE LOCAL LANGUAGE, BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE,

WHICH I HOPE WILL GET ME BENEATH THE SURFACE

OF THIS COMMUNITY.

MY FIRST PORT OF CALL IS THE FISH MARKET.

[ SPEAKING BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE ]

HERE, I CAN START GETTING AN IDEA

OF WHAT'S UNDER THE WATER

AND WHAT I MIGHT BE UP AGAINST.

THESE ARE PARAIBA.

NORMALLY, YOU'LL JUST SEE MAYBE ONE LARGE ONE IF YOU'RE LUCKY.

I'VE NEVER SEEN THIS NUMBER OF SMALL ONES.

THEY SAY A LARGE PARAIBA CAN SWALLOW A MAN.

BIG OLE MOUTH ON THERE.

BUT THEY'RE NOT ON MY SUSPECT LIST.

THEIR BITE ISN'T STRONG ENOUGH TO INFLICT THE MASSIVE BRUISING

THAT WAS REPORTED ON THE CORPSE IN QUESTION.

[ SPEAKING BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE ]

THIS CATFISH DEMONSTRATES HOW VICIOUS LIFE IS

UNDER THE WATER HERE.

IT'S BECOME SUCH AN ARMS RACE DOWN THERE

THAT SOME FISH HAVE EVOLVED ARMOR PLATING.

IF YOU'RE A LARGE CREATURE UNDER THE WATER,

THE ONLY WAY YOU'RE GONNA GET THROUGH THAT IS WITH BIG TEETH

AND WITH A VERY SERIOUS BITE FORCE.

IT'S CLEAR THE WATER HERE

IS A PLACE WHERE KILLER BEASTS THRIVE.

THEN I SEE THE REMAINS

OF ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS FISH I'VE EVER ENCOUNTERED,

AN ARAPAIMA.

THE GILLS WOULD HAVE BEEN HERE.

THE HEAD OUT HERE SOMEWHERE.

I PUT AT LEAST 200 POUNDS ON THE WEIGHT

OF THAT ENTIRE LIVE ANIMAL.

BIG FISH.

ARAPAIMA THIS LARGE HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO KILL HUMANS.

I MYSELF HAD A VERY CLOSE CALL

WHEN ONE OF THESE LIVING TORPEDOES

LAUNCHED ITSELF AT MY CHEST.

BUT THE INJURY IT INFLICTS IS VERY LOCALIZED,

NOT THE EXTENSIVE BRUISING

REPORTEDLY ON THE CORPSE I'M INVESTIGATING.

THE FISH MARKET HASN'T OFFERED UP

ANY POTENTIAL SUSPECTS.

I NEED TO FIND SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY SAW THE BODY

WHO CAN DESCRIBE THE INJURIES IN MORE DETAIL.

A FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT

COULD GIVE ME THE LEAD I'M LOOKING FOR.

IT SEEMS NO AUTHORITIES WERE CALLED IN

TO EXAMINE THE CORPSE.

SO I HIT THE STREETS TO FIND A WITNESS.

BOM DIA.

AND VERY QUICKLY, THE MYSTERY DEEPENS.

I START TO HEAR ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE VANISHED.

A SHOP OWNER TELLS ME ABOUT A BOAT

THAT WAS COMING BACK TO TOWN AFTER A LOGGING TRIP.

ALL SEEMED FINE UNTIL IT GOT INTO PORT,

WHERE THEY MADE AN ALARMING DISCOVERY.

ONE OF THE CREW WHO HAD BEEN AT THE BACK OF THE BOAT

HAD DISAPPEARED.

THE THING ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR CASE

IS THAT HIS BODY, TO THIS DAY, HASN'T BEEN FOUND.

THE AMAZON IS WELL KNOWN TO BE A DANGEROUS REGION...

WHERE PEOPLE DO SOMETIMES GO MISSING.

BUT THIS WASN'T AN ISOLATED CASE.

[ CONVERSING IN BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE ]

A MAN NAMED ENIVALDO TELLS ME ABOUT A FATHER AND SON

WHO WENT OUT IN A CANOE ONE DAY.

AFTER A COUPLE OF DAYS, THEY HAVEN'T COME BACK.

SO, THEY GOT PEOPLE TOGETHER, HAD A LOOK.

[ SPEAKING BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE ]

IT TURNED OUT THAT THEY, TOO, HAD VANISHED.

EVERYONE HERE IS CONVINCED

THAT SOMETHING IN THE WATER TOOK THESE PEOPLE.

[ SPEAKING BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE ]

AND THE NEXT STORY I HEAR

MAKES ME THINK THEY COULD INDEED BE RIGHT.

THIS TIME, THE VICTIM WAS A SWIMMER

WHO DISAPPEARED IN FRONT OF DOZENS OF WITNESSES.

SOMEBODY ON THE BEACH NEAR HERE DIVED IN THE WATER...

[ SPEAKING BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE ]

...AND THEN DIDN'T RESURFACE.

PEOPLE DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING

OTHER THAN THE FACT THAT HE NEVER APPEARED,

AND TO THIS DAY, HIS BODY HASN'T BEEN FOUND.

I'M ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR ANOMALIES,

FOR ANYTHING UNUSUAL

THAT STANDS OUT FROM THE BACKGROUND NOISE

OF EVERYDAY LIFE.

AND ON THE FACE OF IT,

THERE APPEARS TO BE AN UNUSUAL CONCENTRATION

OF DISAPPEARANCES AROUND PORTO DE MOZ.

IS IT THE WORK OF A SERIAL KILLER?

THIS IS BECOMING A MUCH BIGGER MYSTERY

THAN THE ONE I SET OUT TO SOLVE.

I HAVE TO FIND OUT IF THE BRUISED CORPSE

AND THE DISAPPEARANCES ARE CONNECTED.

AT DUSK, I HEAD OUT OF TOWN

TO THE LOCATION OF THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT.

I NEED TO GET MY LINE IN THE WATER

AND SEE WHAT'S DOWN THERE.

LOCALS AVOID GOING ON THE RIVER AT NIGHT,

FEARING THAT SOMETHING MAY ATTACK THEM.

THIS IS WHEN THE BIG HUNTERS COME OUT.

I FIND A GOOD SPOT TO TACKLE UP.

SMALL FISH WILL BE DARTING INTO THE OPEN WATER

FROM THE SAFETY OF THE REEDS,

A TEMPTING MEAL FOR A HUNGRY PREDATOR.

JUDGING BY THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT TOOK

FOR THE LEAD TO HIT THE BOTTOM,

I'M GUESSING I'VE GOT ABOUT 15 FOOT, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

NOT VERY FAR OFF THE WEEDS HERE.

SO, QUITE A RESPECTABLE DEPTH.

WITH THE CLICKER ON,

I'VE JUST GOT MY FINGER ON THE LINE, AS WELL,

SO IF ANYTHING DOES PLUCK, I'LL FEEL IT.

THEN, IN THE VERY PLACE WHERE SOMEBODY WENT MISSING...

...SOMETHING STRIKES MY BAIT.

NO, DON'T PUSH, DON'T PUSH.

AH!

IN THE FAR NORTHEAST OF THE AMAZON,

I'M INVESTIGATING THE STORY OF A CORPSE

THAT WASHED UP WITH MYSTERIOUS BRUISES.

AND I'VE UNCOVERED

WHAT SOUNDS LIKE BRAZIL'S VERY OWN BERMUDA TRIANGLE,

AN AREA WHERE SEVERAL PEOPLE HAVE SIMPLY VANISHED.

LOCALS ARE BLAMING SOMETHING IN THE WATER,

AND I'M HERE TO FIND OUT IF THEY'RE RIGHT.

I'LL GET IT IN THE BOAT.

I'LL SEE IF I CAN JUST PULL IT IN.

WELL, THIS IS A STING RAY.

THIS IS A SPECIES OF STING RAY I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.

IT'S A GOOD 2 FOOT ACROSS AND WEIGHS AROUND 20 POUNDS.

FRESHWATER RAYS ARE DANGEROUS

THANKS TO THE WEAPONRY THEY PACK --

...THE VENOMOUS SPIKE ON THE TAIL.

NORMALLY, THEY WILL STAB YOUR FOOT IF YOU TREAD ON THEM.

THAT IN ITSELF ISN'T POTENTIALLY FATAL,

BUT WORST CASE SCENARIO IS THAT GETS INFECTED,

IT GETS GANGRENE, AND YOU CAN DIE

A VERY SLOW, PAINFUL, LINGERING DEATH.

ALTERNATIVELY, IF AN ARTERY IS PUNCTURED,

THE UNLUCKY VICTIM COULD BLEED TO DEATH.

THOUGH POTENTIALLY LETHAL,

STINGRAYS ARE OFF MY SUSPECT LIST.

THEY'RE SIMPLY NOT CAPABLE

OF PRODUCING EXTENSIVE BRUISING.

AND STING RAYS DON'T CAUSE PEOPLE TO DISAPPEAR.

IT'S TRUE THAT IN ONE CASE I INVESTIGATED,