Warning: This article contains graphic details of a shark attack which some readers may find distressing.
After a week-long disappearance during an ocean swim, the remains of a triathlete have been found. This follows reports of a shark carrying what resembled human flesh in its mouth.
Erica Fox went missing last week while swimming off the California coast, initiating a massive search operation and causing widespread concern. Her father has now confirmed that a body found on the shore belongs to her.
Fox’s body was discovered on Saturday afternoon (December 27) on a Santa Cruz County beach. The Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office reported that rescue teams recovered a body from the ocean just south of Davenport Beach.
This discovery occurred a week after Fox was reported missing near Pacific Grove on December 21. At that time, two witnesses reported sighting a shark.
Fox was participating in a routine morning swim with a local group when the incident happened. The Mercury News reported that another swimmer, who left the water early, noticed a shark in the vicinity.
A driver at a stop sign near the beach called the US Coast Guard after witnessing a shark breach the surface with what appeared to be a human body in its mouth.
The swim group, known as the Kelp Krawlers, immediately rushed back to land. It wasn’t until they regrouped that they realized Fox was missing. Her husband of 30 years, Jean-Francois Vanreusel, was among those who made it safely back to shore.
Sharon Carey, a fellow swimmer, recounted when they realized the situation.
“It started to click that everybody was back on shore but Erica,” she told The Mercury News. “I just felt numb. I was hoping that maybe she got out of the water and then decided to walk back.”
While Fox’s father, James Fox, confirmed the remains were his daughter’s, Sergeant Ryan Farotte of the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office told the Daily Mail that authorities ‘do not yet have confirmation on an ID’.
Fox was a seasoned swimmer with two half-Ironman races completed and nearly two decades of competing in the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon.
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