A man who was bodyboarding in California on Christmas Eve was killed by a great white shark according to the coroner's report and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, per documents obtained by the San Luis Obispo Tribune.
42-year-old Tomas Abraham Butterfield of Sacramento was bodyboarding in Morro Bay in a surfing area known as "the Pit" when he was attacked by the great white shark and bitten in the shoulder, chest, and head.
The report said that Butterfield died from "complications of multiple penetrating blunt force traumatic injuries."
"It appeared that there were about three different primary bite zones: right shoulder, right side thoracic (chest) cavity, and head,” San Luis Obispo County sheriff’s Det. William Miller wrote. "The wound to his thoracic cavity appeared to be in at least two distinct arcs, indicating the shark likely re-set his purchase on the decedent."
Miller said that a piece of the shark's tooth was found in Butterfield's wetsuit when the autopsy was done by pathologist Dr. Joye Carter.
The report could not indicate if Butterfield was attacked by the great white shark just once or if it came back around to attack him multiple times.
"On measurement the noted bite radius measured about 16 inches, but this did not seem to be large enough to be consistent with the size and spacing of what appeared to be individual teeth marks," Miller wrote.
Butterfield was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident, and his body was found by a surfer who noticed him face down with a boogie board, according to the Associated Press.
His uncle, Grant Butterfield, told the San Luis Obispo Tribune in December that he was visiting the area for a family gathering at his mother's house, and added that he was a big fan of fishing, boogie boarding, and golfing.
"Tomas was very quiet and had kind of a wry sense of humor," Grant Butterfield said. "If you could get a full-throated laugh out of him, you were a winner."
Related
Related
