The American woman who died after being attacked by a shark while vacationing in the Bahamas on Monday has finally been identified.
In a press release published to Facebook by the Royal Bahamas Police Force, law enforcement named the woman as 44-year-old Lauren Erickson Van Wart from Boston, Massachusetts. It stated that the investigation is ongoing, and no further information was immediately available.
Lauren was killed just one day after getting married, it was previously reported, but her mother-in-law, who has remained anonymous, did an interview with MassLive stating that the couple had been married for 13 years. It remains unclear which is the case, as another anonymous witness who saw the attack and who knows the couple had stated that they had just been married.
Lauren had been seen laughing and talking on her paddleboard in the waters off the coast of New Providence Island near the Sandals Resort. She had been swimming with family, the RBPF previously stated in a news release.
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Lauren had reportedly been far enough from shore that her cries for help couldn't be heard, but others report that they could (CBS NEWS)"Shortly after 11:15am, police were notified that a female visitor from Boston, Massachusetts, USA, was subsequently attacked by a shark," the statement read. "According to initial reports, the female — along with a male relative — were paddle-boarding just at the rear of a resort in western Providence, some 3/4 miles out from the shoreline, when she was bitten by the shark."
The relative Lauren had been swimming with was uninjured, it was reported. A lifeguard was able to pull them both onto a boat, but Lauren succumbed to her severe injuries on her right side.
Police Sgt Desiree Ferguson said: “We extend our heartfelt condolences—for this most unfortunate situation." Sandals Resort also issued a statement: "We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of a guest while on a paddle-boarding activity nearly a mile from the shore. We wish to express our heartfelt condolences to the guest’s family and loved ones. We remain in close contact with them and are providing all support possible during this difficult time."
The type of shark that killed Lauren remains unclear (Getty Images)A jet skier who was around when Lauren was mauled by the aquatic beast — the witness who knows the couple — recounted what he saw that fateful day, describing the shark as a "15 feet long" animal. "We were sitting out there by Sandals and we saw the victim and her husband who we know. They were laughing and talking and they were just paddling out on the paddle board, and they were out there for like 20/25 minutes," the anonymous witness said.
He said he remembers the moment a nearby boat raced off to the couple's location. He and other jetskiers raced to the paddleboard to try and retrieve it, but he said the shark had bitten onto it and was holding it in his teeth. There was blood all over it, he said.
"Boy, the shark, he had to have been at least 15 feet long," he told Eyewitness News Bahamas. "[The boat operator] was out there patrolling around the board because the board still had all the blood on it the witness said of the shark. They just got married yesterday, so that’s the part that’s so sad."
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