A single, severe shark bite was fatal for Erica Fox, a 55-year-old ocean swimmer whose body was found on a California beach in December 2025, according to a new autopsy report.
Fox left Lovers Point near Monterey, California, on 21 December 2025 with a group of about a dozen swimmers but did not return to shore. During the search, a motorist reported seeing a shark emerge from the water carrying what appeared to be a human body. California firefighters later found Fox's remains on a beach northwest of Santa Cruz on 27 December 2025.
The autopsy, released on 29 July 2026, revealed that Fox died from sharp and blunt force injuries and submersion in water due to a shark attack. The bite broke her pelvis and severed a major artery, leading to her drowning.
Fox was one of 12 people worldwide who died from shark bites in 2025, according to University of Florida researchers. She was the only shark bite fatality recorded in the US that year, as noted in the International Shark Attack File published in February 2026. Prior to Fox's death, California had experienced 16 shark-related fatalities over the preceding 75 years.
Sources:
- California firefighters found Fox's remains on 27 December 2025.
- Autopsy findings first reported by California’s Monterey Herald.
- University of Florida researchers on global shark bite fatalities.
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