A 55 year old triathlete who went missing off the coast of Pacific Grove in Monterey Bay has been confirmed dead following a suspected great white shark attack. Investigators said Erica Fox vanished while swimming with a group that included her husband, Jean François Vanreusel.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing a great white shark surface with a human body in its mouth before disappearing beneath the waves. Search teams spent days combing the area, with concerns intensifying as time passed without any sign of her.
Authorities revealed that human remains washed ashore at Davenport Beach in Santa Cruz, roughly 15 km from the site of the attack. Her father identified the remains, though the Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Office has not issued a formal confirmation.
Multiple agencies continued their efforts even after the official search ended, including sheriff’s offices from Santa Cruz and Monterey counties as well as the Pacific Grove Police Department. Independent teams such as Bedrock Ocean Exploration and Angels Recovery Dive Team also supported the investigation.
Fox had been swimming as part of a regular group training session when the incident occurred. The group was alerted on 23 December by a passing boat owner who reported a shark spotted about 100 meters away, prompting authorities to close the beach.
Swimmers headed back to shore immediately, but a headcount revealed that Fox was missing. Fellow athlete Sharon Carey said she initially hoped Fox had managed to exit the water elsewhere and planned to walk back.
Search crews deployed boats, helicopters and divers for approximately 15 hours before the official operation was halted. Volunteers and local authorities later resumed efforts, which ultimately led to the discovery of her remains.
Fox was an accomplished athlete who had competed in 2 Ironman races and trained regularly in open water. Friends and family remembered her as joyful, energetic, humorous and kind, noting that she understood the risks associated with ocean swimming.
She had recently attended a seminar on great white sharks and had previously shared posts about ocean safety and shark behavior. One 2013 post featured an image of a diver beside a shark with the caption describing humans as the most dangerous animals on the planet.
