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By Amanda Greenwood
Associate News Editor
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A body has been recovered in the search for missing U.S. triathlete Erica Fox following the sighting of a shark with a swimmer in its jaws when the 55-year-old vanished during a group swim in Pacific Grove, Monterey Bay, California.
The body was identified as the athlete by her father, James fox, according to NBC Bay Area, after the tragic discovery in the sea south of Davenport Beach in Santa Cruz County, on Saturday, nearly a week after she went missing. Law enforcement officials are yet to confirm her identity.
Shortly before she disappeared, a meme was posted on Fox's Facebook page apparently about humans being more of a threat than sharks and had spoken publicly about feeling safe in the water, telling the Independent: "I feel more vulnerable riding my bike than being in the water.
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Newsweek has emailed the City of Monterey's Chief of Police for comment.
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The Context
Fox’s suspected shark-attack death has reignited concerns about shark encounters along California’s central coast. Research published in Frontiers in Marine Science shows that between 1950 and 2021, California recorded 201 verified shark-related incidents, with 107 resulting in injuries and 15 in fatalities.
What To Know
Fox was last seen just after noon on December 21 at Lovers Point, according to officials, and was participating in a swim with the Kelp Krawlers club alongside her husband and other members.
Two witnesses said the swimmer "may have encountered a shark," according to a joint statement from the Coast Guard and the cities of Pacific Grove and Monterey. Coast Guard spokesperson Christopher Sappey said, per NBC, that one person reported seeing a shark breach the water with what appeared to be a human body in its mouth and the shark then plunged beneath the waterline without resurfacing.
After Fox was reported missing, a multiagency search covering more than 84 square nautical miles over 15 hours was launched. The search was suspended after no additional signs were found.
But on Saturday, December 28, rescue teams recovered a body. According to ABC news, Fox's father told affiliate KSBW on Sunday that family members identified the body as Fox, based on the clothing she was wearing and had been wearing a shark deterrent anklet when she disappeared.
Before her death, a meme (below) was posted on Fox's Facebook feed about humankind being more dangerous than a shark.
What People Are Saying
The New York Post reported that Jean-Francis Vanreusel, Fox's husband, told Mercury News that: "She didn’t want to live in fear. She lived her life fully."
In a 2022 interview, Fox told The Independent: "As soon as you dive in the water, you’re immediately in a foreign land. We are the ocean ecology’s humbled guests. I feel more vulnerable riding my bike than being in the water."
In the same 2022 interview, John Ugoretz, an environmental program manager for the CDFW, said: "As far as our data show, there’s no increased risk to people in the water, even in those areas where we’re seeing more and more frequent sharks. There’s lots of evidence that the sharks aren’t terribly interested in people and will even avoid people if approached."
What Happens Next
As of December 29, 2025, it has not been independently confirmed whether the body recovered was a direct result of a shark attack, though signs and witness reports strongly suggest this possibility.
Update 12/29/25, 11:30 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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