Body discovered after swimmer goes missing in possible shark attack in California

A body was discovered near where a swimmer who may have been attacked by a shark went missing last week, California officials said in an update Sunday.

The woman’s body was recovered from the ocean south of Davenport Beach, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.

Due to the proximity to the recent shark attack victim in Monterey County, the agency said it is working closely with the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office and the Pacific Grove Police Department regarding the recovery.

The swimmer, identified by authorities as Erica Fox, 55, was reported missing shortly after noon Dec. 21 at Lovers Point in Pacific Grove in Monterey Bay, according to a joint statement from the Coast Guard and the cities of Pacific Grove and Monterey.

Fox’s father confirmed to ABC affiliate KSBW in Santa Cruz on Sunday that family members identified the body as Fox, based on the clothing he was wearing.

Fox was wearing a shark deterrent anklet when she disappeared, family members said, according to KSBW.

After her disappearance, two witnesses said the swimmer “may have encountered a shark,” according to the statement. One person reported seeing a shark with a body in its mouth before diving, a Coast Guard official said.

According to officials, the decision was made last week to suspend the search after a total of more than 15 hours of search operations covering an area of ​​more than 84 square nautical miles.

Lovers Point Beach in Pacific Grove and McAbee Beach and San Carlos Beach in Monterey were closed until Tuesday, officials said.

ABC News’ Tristan Resonate and Amanda Morris contributed to this report.