On December 28, 2025, authorities recovered a body from a remote beach within Wilder Ranch State Park in Santa Cruz County, California. The family has confirmed the victim’s identity as Erica Fox, a 55-year-old swimmer believed to have been a victim of a shark attack in Monterey Bay earlier that week.

Erica Fox was the co-founder of the swimming group “Kelp Krawlers”, who regularly swam at Lovers Point, Pacific Grove every Sunday. She went missing around December 21, 2025, after leaving the group during a routine swim, and witnesses reported seeing a shark nearby at that time.

Fox’s father, James Fox, stated that the body was identified through her clothing and a distinctive watch she was wearing. The Santa Cruz County Coroner’s Office is still processing the official identification.

Previously, authorities had temporarily suspended the search after several days without any trace, and the body was later found near a beach south of Davenport, about 45 miles (72 km) north of Monterey Bay.