By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-01 14:37:06 | Updated at 2026-08-04 15:56:23
3 days ago
A female triathlete who was killed in a shark attack died after a single bite so powerful it shattered her pelvis, her autopsy revealed.
Erica Fox, 55, died by drowning and sharp and blunt-force injuries in Monterey Bay on December 21, 2025.
Her newly released autopsy revealed she died from one bite from the animal, which then submerged her body in the water, resulting in her death, the Monterey Herald reported.
Fox suffered injuries to her right knee, thigh and abdomen, and her wetsuit had been torn apart in those areas. She also suffered from a fractured pelvis and a major artery was severed, the autopsy said.
Fox's body was found washed ashore near Wilder Ranch State Park six days after she went missing. She had gone for a group swim with the Kelp Krawlers, a group she cofounded.
They were swimming toward Lovers Point Beach when she disappeared in the water while she was ahead of most of the swimmers.
A driver called 911 after he saw a shark jump out of the water about 100 yards off Lovers Point. The man told authorities he believed there was a person in the shark's mouth, the Coast Guard said, according to the outlet.
The shark later went back underwater and did not reappear.
Erica Fox, 55, died on December 21 from a single shark bite near Lovers Point beach
A search team was deployed, but her body was not found. It later washed ashore six days later
These horrifying reports prompted swimmers to hurry back to their starting point, but when they took a headcount, they realized that Fox was nowhere to be found.
Fox's husband of 30 years, Jean-Francois Vanreusel, was among the group.
'It started to click that everybody was back on shore but Erica,' Sharon Carey, who stayed close to the shore during her swim, told The Mercury News at the time.
'I just felt numb. I was hoping that maybe she got out of the water and then decided to walk back.'
First responders rushed to the scene, but were unsuccessful in their search.
After about 15 hours of boats, helicopters and divers scouring the water, the operation was called off.
But the Monterey County Sheriff's Office, along with independent search groups Bedrock Ocean Exploration and the Angel's Recovery Dive Team, continued the probe even after it officially ended.
Her death was the third by shark attack at Lovers Point since June 2022.
Her husband, Jean-Francois Vanreusel (pictured together) was also swimming the day she was attacked. Her autopsy revealed she suffered deep wounds to her right knee, thigh, and abdomen. She also suffered from a fractured pelvis
Fox had competed in two half-Ironman competitions and participated in an annual triathlon called Escape from Alcatraz
Another Kelp Krawler, Steve Bruemmer, was also seriously injured by a shark near Lovers Point in June 2022, the outlet reported.
As an avid swimmer and adventurer, Fox was known to lead the pack of eager Kelp Krawlers.
Fox had competed in two half-Ironman competitions and participated in an annual triathlon called Escape from Alcatraz for almost 20 years, her father told NBC News.
Kelp Krawlers member Lisa Jensen also said that Fox was 'an incredibly cheerful, bubbly, funny, joyful, kind human being' who knew the risks of the ocean.
She had attended a 'Sharktober' seminar at Hopkins Marine Station, just north of Lovers Point, to learn more about the apex predators.
