The father of a missing triathlete has confirmed the discovery of her body after a tragic shark attack off the California coast. Rescuers retrieved a body from the ocean near Davenport Beach in Santa Cruz County on Saturday around 2 p.m., according to the local sheriff’s office.
Authorities have identified the deceased as 55-year-old Erica Fox, her father, James Fox, told NBC Bay Area. This heartbreaking discovery occurred roughly a week after Fox went missing while swimming near Lovers Point in Pacific Grove, where witnesses reported a shark attack.
Lovers Point and Davenport Beach are both situated along the picturesque Monterey Bay coastline, approximately 30 miles apart.
Although James Fox has confirmed the identity of the body as his daughter, Sergeant Ryan Farotte from the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office stated to the Daily Mail on Sunday evening that official identification of the body has yet to be confirmed by authorities.
Davenport Beach and Lovers Point are both along the coastline of the Monterey Bay. The distance between the two sites is about 30 miles.
While James confirmed that the body belongs to his daughter, Sergeant Ryan Farotte of the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office told the Daily Mail on Sunday night that authorities ‘do not yet have confirmation on an ID’ of the body.
However, due to its proximity to Fox’s disappearance, the Santa Cruz and Monterey County sheriff’s offices, along with the Pacific Grove Police, are investigating the matter.
Fox went missing on December 21 at around 11:30am while swimming alongside fellow members of the recreational swim club Kelp Krawlers, which she co-founded 20 years ago.
Fox has competed in two half-Ironman competitions and participated in an annual triathlon called Escape from Alcatraz for almost 20 years
Cal Fire used a rope system to retrieve Fox’s body on Saturday
Search teams scoured the water near where Fox went missing hoping to recover her body
The group regularly meets at Lovers Point. Trouble apparently arose when the group of 15 people swam west around the point and entered Otter Cove.
One Kelp Krawler who returned to shore early noticed a shark about 100 yards from the point, according to The Mercury News.
Simultaneously, a driver stopped at a nearby stop sign alerted the US Coast Guard that he had seen a shark breach the surface with what appeared to be a human body in its mouth.
He then claimed he saw the shark submerge below the waterline.
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.
Her horrified 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.
‘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.
Cal Fire personnel are seen preparing to retrieve Fox’s body on Saturday
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.
But on Saturday, Cal Fire’s San Mateo-Santa Cruz unit used a rope system to retrieve Fox’s body.
As an avid swimmer and adventurer, Fox was known to lead the pack of eager Kelp Krawlers.
Fox has 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.
In 2013, she shared a photo on Facebook showing a shark swimming next to a scuba diver.
Fox’s horrified husband of 30 years, Jean-Francois Vanreusel (seen in 2009), was among the group
‘This is the most dangerous animal in the world and next to it [is] a shark swimming peacefully,’ the caption read.
Even after Steve Bruemmer, a member of the swimming group, survived a June 2022 shark attack with severe leg injuries, Fox defended the creatures.
She told news outlets at the time that she preferred the terms ‘incident’ or ‘bite’ over ‘shark attack.’
‘As soon as you dive in the water, you’re immediately in a foreign land,’ she told The Independent following the attack on Bruemmer.
‘We are the ocean ecology’s humble guests,’ Fox added.
Fox’s loved ones and community have been left heartbroken by her death.
At a memorial held in her honor, Breummer told KSBW that Fox was a ‘bright light’ who was not afraid to take risks.
‘She lived her life fully,’ her husband, Vanreusel, told The Mercury News on Sunday.
The mayor of Pacific Grove, Nick Smith, issued a statement about her death, writing: ‘On behalf of the city of Pacific Grove and the city council, I extend my deepest and heartfelt sympathy to the family and loved ones of Erica Fox.
Fox (seen in 2009) was known as a risk taker who knew the dangers of sharks
Fox disappeared from Lovers Point in Pacific Grove during a swim with the group
‘When a tragedy like this occurs in a small town it is deeply felt throughout our entire community.’
After her body was found, Angel’s Recovery diver Juan Heredia shared a heartfelt poem about Fox on Facebook.
‘You didn’t leave this world alone – you became part of it,’ he wrote. Salt, current, light, and silence now carry your story.’
He continued: ‘Swim gently, beautiful soul. The ocean keeps your soul now, and we will remember you every time the water moves. Was about time! She was found.’
