PICTURED: Boston editor Lauren Erikson Van Wart, 44, who was killed by a shark ‘in front of her husband’ on the first day of her honeymoon in The Bahamas while vacationing at 5-star resort
The first photos have emerged of a newlywed from Boston who was killed by a shark while kayaking in the Bahamas.
Lauren Erickson Van Wart, 44, was off the coast five-star Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort with a male relative Monday morning when she was fatally mauled by a predator.
A lifeguard at a luxury adults-only resort spotted a woman in distress and rushed to help. They attempted CPR, but the attack left the woman with serious injuries to her right thigh and upper limb, and attempts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful.
People relaxing on a nearby beach are said to have heard screams as the horror unfolded, holidaymaker Debra DeWeese told DailyMail.com.
Grim photos and videos released subsequently showed the victim’s covered body being wheeled back to the beach on a gurney before being loaded into an ambulance.
Lauren Erickson Van Wart, 44, was killed Monday by a shark while kayaking in the Bahamas.
The 44-year-old Boston newlywed’s surfboard is pictured floating in the Bahamas on Monday, shortly after she was fatally mauled by a shark the day after her wedding.
Mortuary workers transport Van Wart’s body near the Sandals Royal resort in the Bahamas.
The newlywed’s body is being loaded into a van by local police following Monday’s tragedy.
Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates, where Van Wart worked as a math editor, credited her dedication and commitment to students.
“Our team is heartbroken and mourning the loss of a dear and trusted colleague and friend,” he said.
“Lauren was a beloved member of our mathematics editorial team, and she poured her deep dedication to students and faculty into every piece she touched. Her commitment to excellence and outstanding performance was driven by a higher purpose to improve learning outcomes for all.
“Our Curriculum Associates community mourns this tragedy and extends our deepest love and support to Lauren’s wonderful husband and her entire family.”
Sergeant Desiree Ferguson of the Royal Bahamas Police told reporters: “Shortly after 11:15 am, police were notified that a guest from Boston, Massachusetts, USA, had been attacked by a shark.
“According to our initial reports, the female was kayaking with a male relative at the rear of a resort in Western New Providence, approximately 3/4 mile from the shoreline, when she was bitten by a shark.
“The lifeguard on duty, who saw what was happening, went out on a rescue boat, picked up the victim along with a male relative and took them to a safe place, the victim was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
“However, she suffered serious injuries to the right side of her body, including her right thigh area, as well as her right upper limb.
“Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene and they thoroughly assessed the victim and stated that he was not exhibiting any vital signs.”
She added that it took the woman a couple of hours before they wheeled out the wheelchair and picked up the man, believed to be her husband.
“I can’t imagine what the husband is going through,” DeWeese, who was on a day trip from a cruise, added in a Facebook post.
Emergency services converged on a pier near the Sandals resort on Monday after a fatal shark attack.
Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort is a five-star resort where rooms cost around $1,500 per night during peak season.
DeWeese noted that “staff and some guests are a little traumatized.”
A Sandals spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of a guest who was kayaking almost a mile offshore.
“We want to express our sincere condolences to the guest’s family and loved ones.
“We remain in close contact with them and are providing all possible support during this difficult time.”
It was not immediately clear what type of shark attacked the woman, although tiger sharks and bull sharks are known to live off the coast of the Bahamas.
Gavin Naylor, director of the International Shark Attack File program in Florida, said in an interview that there have been several shark-related fatalities in the Bahamas over the past five years.
He noted that the Bahamas has a “huge” tourist population, adding that there are a lot of people in the water and a lot of visitors who want to see sharks from a fishing boat or dive with them.
“So the sharks acclimate and the animals become a little less wary than they might otherwise be,” he said.
Van Wart was attacked less than a mile from the western tip of New Providence Island, where the capital of Nassau is located.
She was kayaking with a man believed to be her husband, who was not injured, police Sgt. Desiree Ferguson
There are 30 to 40 species of sharks around the Bahamas, Naylor said, although the Caribbean reef shark, bull shark, tiger shark and blacktip shark have the highest bite rates.
“Usually it’s an accidental bite. They think it’s something else,” he said.
“Sometimes they really single people out, and it’s intentional.”
Fatal shark attacks are rare, with an average of five to six attacks a year reported worldwide, most of them in Australia, Naylor said.
Last year there were only 57 unprovoked bites worldwidemost are in the United States, according to the International Shark Attack File.
Debra DeWeese, a woman who visited the resort and subsequently published photos from the scene, told DailyMail.com that her fellow vacationers could hear the woman’s screams all the way from land.
Police said a lifeguard rescued both people on the boat after seeing what was happening, but the woman suffered serious injuries to the right side of her body and was pronounced dead at the scene despite CPR efforts.
According to the document, there have been at least 33 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks in the Bahamas since 1580, with the island ranking ninth in the world.
The Nassau Guardian reported that authorities in the Bahamas are still searching for a German woman who went missing late last month after she was apparently attacked while diving.
Last year the shark killed an American cruise ship passenger from Pennsylvania who was scuba diving in the northern Bahamas near Green Cay.
Most shark attacks in the Caribbean occur in the Bahamas, although shark attacks are rare. was registered in the French Caribbean territory of Saint Martin. three years ago.