21-year-old California student killed by three sharks while snorkeling was pulled ashore by horrified mother
The 21-year-old student from Torrance, California, who was killed in a shark attack in the Bahamas was reportedly dragged to the shore by her desperate mother, her heartbroken father has revealed.
The student, identified as Jordan Lindsey, was snorkeling with her parents near Rose Island in the North Atlantic Ocean waters at around 2 pm on Wednesday, June 26 when she was attacked by three sharks.
Lindsey's father, Michael Lindsey, revealed the detailed of the incident while talking to ABC News, saying that his wife was just a few feet away at the time of the attack.
"Myself, my two boys, and Jordan's girlfriend, Gianna, were on another part of the island, just swimming on the beach side," he said. "My wife, Kami, and Jordan went snorkeling on another part of the island. My wife was near Jordan, a few feet away, when the shark attacked."
"She said it happened so fast, and no one yelled anything. My wife got to Jordan and pulled Jordan to shore by herself. The medical staff said they still had to do an autopsy. My wife said no one told her there were three sharks," the father added.
A shark expert, Dr. Erich Ritter, who is probing the incident, on Thursday said that there might have been a trigger there leading the sharks to attack Jordan.
He added that sharks' behavior was not normal, and that he may be been triggered by something like chum being dumped nearby.
The 21-year-old had traveled to the island with her family on a tour boat brought by visitors to the island for snorkeling and to see wild pigs.
Jordan suffered gruesome injuries in the attack as her right arm was torn off and she suffered bites to her left arm, buttocks, and both legs. She was rushed to Doctor's Hospital in Nassau, where she was pronounced dead, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force.
A State Department spokesperson released a statement to the outlet, saying: "We can confirm a U.S. citizen in the Bahamas succumbed to her injuries following a shark attack on June 26."
The 21-year-old's body will now be taken to Princess Margaret Hospital in Nassau for an autopsy and will then be sent to California by the US Embassy.
"Her name was Jordan Lindsey... We already miss her so much. She was so caring. She loved all animals. It's ironic she would die getting attacked by a shark," Jordan's father Michael had earlier said in a statement to NBC.
Jordan's sister has set up a GoFundMe page in an attempt to help with her funeral expenses.
The page says: "Jordan Lindsey was a beloved daughter, sister, girlfriend, and friend. On June 26, 2019, Jordan was tragically killed from a shark attack in the Bahamas. Jordan's body needs to be transported from the Bahamas back to her home of California, which is very expensive. This GoFundMe is being set up to help Jordan's family pay for any travel and funeral expenses for Jordan's body. Any amount helps. Thank you."
Jordan studied Environmental Communications at the Loyola Marymount University and was set to graduate in 2020.
Reports state that a Texas tourist, doctor Jace Holton, who was on that tour boat with Jordan saw three sharks and even snapped a picture of a shark in the water after the attack.
The investigation into the incident is still ongoing.