A 56-year-old woman died last week in the U.S. Virgin Islands after a shark attack, according to NBC News.
The victim was identified as Arlene Lillis of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, who had her arm ripped off from the elbow down by a shark and later “succumbed to her injuries,” according to police.
The incident happened on Thursday afternoon on the island of St. Croix.
Christopher Carroll, a nurse from Utah who was vacationing there also along with his wife, told NBC News that he heard Lillis screaming from the water and swam to try and help her.
Upon getting to Lillis, he told NBC News that he saw blood in the water and figured it was a shark attack.
“I knew it was a big, big shark,” Carroll recalled to NBC News. “And that was the most terrifying moments … knowing that there’s blood in the water, knowing there’s a very large shark that’s aggressive and not knowing if it’s still there. Is it coming back? Is it going to come back for her? Is it going to hit me?”
Lillis was conscious while Carroll towed her back to the shore, but ultimately didn’t survive her injuries.
“Our hearts are with the family and loved ones of the victim, and with everyone who witnessed this tragedy,” U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. said in a statement. “We have been briefed on the information known at this time, and we are grateful to the bystanders who acted immediately to render aid and to the first responders who worked urgently and bravely in an effort to save her life.”
Initially, rescuers believed there was a second person involved in the attack. But it turned out that Lillis was the only victim.
The incident was the second fatal shark attack over the last three weeks. Open water swimmer Erica Fox died in a shark attack south of Davenport Beach near Santa Cruz, California in late December. Her body was found on Dec. 28 after she went missing with a group of swimmers on Dec. 21.
Shark attacks in general are rare worldwide and fatal ones are even more uncommon, making two in a span of weeks eye-opening.
According to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File, 88 alleged shark-human interactions were investigated in 2024. Of those 88, 47 were unprovoked shark bites and 24 provoked bites.
According to the Associated Press, the odds of getting attacked by a shark are less likely than getting struck by lightning or being mauled by a bear.
I am not sure why this news is in a swimming website. If the point was “don’t ever swim in the ocean”, you are preaching to the converted far as I am concerned.
A tragedy -prayers to the family
Every swimmers worst nightmare. My condolences.
How many sharks human killed??? Hypocrite much
Human life is more valuable than shark life. It’s unfortunate that sharks are cruelly killed, but this article is not at all hypocritical. The death of this woman is a tragedy, and I send my condolences to the family.
I am choosing to believe that this is a troll post.
If you take into account time spent in water averaged over the population,
then calculate the odds of being struck by lightning, bear attacks or dying from bee stings,
You might find like in the movie , the odds aren’t forever in your favour.
Also, shark cage diving operations, that chum the water or beat drums to encourage sharks to investigate possible food sources , are clearly responsible for the increase in shark attack deaths.
Crazy
No disrespect to the deceased, but a shark just does what a shark does and if your invading their home then there are certain risks associated. Not all that crazy if you ask me
There are more risks associated with your drive to the beach than actually swimming in the water, people theorize.
I would say it’s very crazy to have two attacks in such a short period of time.
Seems a bit disrespectful.