Scientists investigate what triggered unusual 3-shark attack that killed U.S. woman in Bahamas
A team of scientists are now investigating the shark attack that killed 21-year-old Jordan Lindsey in the Bahamas.
A biologist says there was likely a trigger that caused the sharks to attack the California college student while she was snorkeling on Wednesday, and scientists say it is not normal shark behavior.
Police in the Bahamas say Lindsey, who was vacationing with her family, was attacked by three sharks while snorkeling off Rose Island. Lindsey's family reportedly saw the sharks approaching her, and tried to yell out a warning -- but she didn't hear them in time.
A photo, taken by a woman who was in the water earlier, apparently shows one tiger shark responsible for the attack. Officials say the sharks bit Lindsey's legs and buttocks, and severed her right arm. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Unprovoked shark attacks worldwide are rare, and deaths even more so. In a ten-year period ending in 2016, the Bahamas saw just four shark attacks. Only one was deadly.
Lindsey's family describes her as a "beautiful, gentle soul." She was a student at Loyola Marymount University in southern California. The university's president called her a "devoted animal lover and climate change advocate."
"My heart is pounding. I cannot believe it," said Yvette Lao, a neighbor of Lindsey's family. "I don't know how they're gonna go through this."