Erica Fox, a 55-year-old triathlete, is presumed dead after disappearing Sunday during a swim off the California coast and is feared to have been attacked by a shark.

Hawaii fisherman survives brutal shark attack after trying to help tangled predator, performs lifesaving first aid on himself in dramatic ocean rescue.

Outside of the North Bay, a shark attack is believed to have been involved in the disappearance of a triathlete at Lovers Point in Monterey. Erica Fox, 55, was last seen Sunday after a member of her swim club spotted a shark in the area she’d been swimming.

Sharks are able to detect weak electric signals using the pores on their snouts that act as electroreceptors, which helps them with navigation and prey detection. “Introducing a controlled, stronger electric stimulus can disrupt this process in a way that encourages avoidance without harming the animal,” Espinosa explains.

At Tampa International Airport, this journey never had a destination, but families say it had a powerful purpose.