Lovers Point in Pacific Grove was the site of an unconfirmed shark attack this weekend. Photo: Gene Giromini // Unsplash
The search continues for a 55-year-old woman who went missing from a California beach this week. According to unconfirmed eyewitness accounts, the woman may have encountered a shark. Those same witnesses claim they saw a shark reappear with a body in its mouth.
As KSBW reports, Pacific Grove police say the woman was swimming with a regular group that meets in the area every Sunday. However, around noon, witnesses on the beach saw a large splash. Fearing a shark attack, the swimmers all promptly returned to shore, but the missing woman was not among them.
According to a press release from the City of Pacific Grove, The Pacific Grove Police Department (PGPD) and Monterey Fire Department (MFD) were called about a missing swimmer off Lovers Point in Pacific Grove at 12:04 p.m. on Sunday, December 21. They then initiated a search and rescue mission, in conjunction with the United States Coast Guard, Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, and California State Parks. By 8 p.m., the swimmer had still not been found and the rescue efforts were suspended until the following morning.
The only other sign of what happened to the woman came from a witness account to the Coast Guard. “The person who reported the shark sighting claimed they saw a shark breach the water with what appeared to be a human body in its mouth,” U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Christopher Sappey told SFGate. “They then witnessed the shark submerge below the waterline without resurfacing.” However, he also clarified that officials had yet to find any corroborating evidence of a shark attack.
Lovers Point Beach in Pacific Grove, and McAbee and San Carlos Beaches in Monterey are closed through Tuesday, December 23. A beach advisory is in place for Asilomar State Beach, Monterey Municipal Beach, Del Monte Beach, and Monterey State Beach through December 23.
