By Keith Dunlap on SwimSwam
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.
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