The Real Life ‘Castaway Man’ Is Being Sued For Eating His Friend

#1 Castaway Spent 438 Days Adrift At Sea

Fisherman Salvador Alvarenga, who is the longest castaway on record at 438 days at sea, is being sued by the family of the other man who was with him on the ill-fated journey. Alvarenga was found 6,700 miles from where he first set sail after being adrift on the ocean for more than a year.

#2 He And Ezequiel Cordoba Sailed Together On What Was To Be A 2 Day Fishing Trip

Alvarenga, 36 and Ezequiel Cordoba, 22, set sail together on November 17, 2012 on a fishing trip from Mexico when they hit a storm and they were pushed out to sea. In January of last year Alvarenga washed up in the Marshall Islands alone without Cordoba, according to the Huffington Post on December 17.

#3 Roselia Diaz, Mother of Dead Castaway Ezequiel Cordoba Is Now Suing The Survivor For Cannibalism

The family of Cordoba is now suing Alvarenga for $1 million claiming that the surviving fisherman is alive today because he survived by eating the flesh of their loved one. They accuse this surviving castaway of eating his hired hand, who had agreed to go with Alvarenga originally for a two-day fishing trip for the pay of $50 a day.

#4 Alverenga Claims He Did Not Eat The Flesh Of His Mate, But Lived On Turtles And Birds

Alvarenga adamantly denies eating his shipmate and claims that cannibalism never entered his mind. The fisherman claimed that he survived eating fish and birds and drinking turtle blood and urine to stay alive.

Cordoba died after four months at sea as he couldn't digest the raw meat diet they were forced to live on, reported Alvarenga upon his rescue. The surviving member of this duo adrift at sea made a solemn promise to his shipmate which he reported during an interview.

#5 He Made An Odd Promise That Had The Family Skeptical

That promise was in two parts and the first was not to eat his shipmate's corpse. He also promised to find Cordoba's mother and tell her what happened if he survived. He kept that promise 100 percent. But the family is skeptical as to why that subject would even be brought up in a conversation.

#6 Cordoba's Body Was Never Recovered And Was 'Buried At Sea'

Cordoba' body was never found, but that is expected as Alvarenga buried him at sea. "His departure was very hard for me, and I continued talking to him. On the sixth day I realized that I was going crazy, so I prayed for him and threw the body into the water," Alvarenga said. After leaving his friend's body on the boat with him as long as nature would allow, he had no choice but to bury him at sea.

#7 The Castaway Is Now Being Sued For $2 Million Total By The Family And A Previous Attorney

After a few years, he decided to write a book about his horrific experience. However, this brought him a lot of enemies. His lawyer sued him for $1 million dollars after he signed a book deal and switched firms. And then his colleague's family also sued him for another $1 million dollars for allegedly killing and eating their son.

#8 Alvarenga Believes The Family Is Only Suing Him Because The Believe There Is Money To Be Made from His Book & Movie Deal

Alvarenga's new lawyers said said Cordoba's family is likely suing because they believe Alvarenga made profits from a book that was recently published on his ordeal. He said: 'I believe that this demand is part of the pressure from this family to divide the proceeds of royalties. Many believe the book is making my client a rich man, but what he will earn is much less than people think.'

#9 One Family Was Happy To Finally See Their Son Alive

Alvarenga was rescued in 2014, when he arrived in the Marshall Islands, almost 6,500 miles across the Pacific Ocean from the Mexican coast where he started his journey, He was seen by doctors, cleaned up and reunited with his family, who were happy to finally see their son alive.

#10 The Journey, The Death, And Ordeal, Has Left A Lot Of Unanswered Questions For The Cordoba family

Meanwhile, the ordeal has left a drastic toll on both families, as the Cordoba's have suffered and waited to hear from their boy, only to find out he was tossed overboard at sea. In their hearts they still believe he was the victim of cannibalism. Though Alverenga writes in his new book that he became so hungry he scooped up jellyfish and ate them, he insists he never ate his shipmate. Mr Alvarenga was working in a fishing village on the Pacific coast of Mexico's southern Chiapas state when the two men took out a small fishing boat to catch tuna. He now is set to make a lot of money as his book is being turned into a major motion picture. Roselia Diaz says she hopes some day the truth comes out, but so far, the book does not mention that their son was eaten by his fishing partner.