Exclusive: Great white shark killed man in Morro Bay; autopsy details wounds from attack
A man who died in a Morro Bay shark attack on Christmas Eve was attacked by a great white shark and fatally bitten on multiple parts of his body, according to the coroner’s report and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The report, released to The Tribune as part of a public records request, detailed the Dec. 24 attack that killed Tomas Abraham Butterfield, 42, of Sacramento, who was bodyboarding in a surf area known as “the Pit” just north of Morro Rock.
It was written by San Luis Obispo County sheriff’s Det. William Miller, who arrived at the scene about two hours after Butterfield’s body was discovered. It concludes Butterfield died from “complications of multiple penetrating blunt force traumatic injuries.”
“It appeared that there were about three different primary bite zones: right shoulder, right side thoracic (chest) cavity, and head,” Miller wrote. “The wound to his thoracic cavity appeared to be in at least two distinct arcs, indicating the shark likely re-set his purchase on the decedent.”
Miller noted that during the autopsy, performed in coordination with pathologist Dr. Joye Carter, they found a piece of “what appeared to be a shark’s tooth contained between the decedent and his wetsuit in the area of his back.”
One bite mark was as large as 16 inches in radius, but the detective noted that it was likely bigger than that.
“On measurement the noted bite radius measured about 16 inches, but this did not seem to be large enough to be consistent with the size and spacing of what appeared to be individual teeth marks,” Miller wrote.
It’s unclear from the report whether the shark’s teeth marks indicated a tugging effect on the bodyboarder after the first contact, which caused the re-set of the grasp, or if Butterfield was attacked multiple times, meaning the shark circled back.
The report didn’t find any evidence of a medical incident related to Butterfield’s condition, and no drugs or prescription medication was found in his system.
The report also didn’t find any evidence of criminal activity or foul play.
Bite marks cause severe injuries
As part of the report, Miller laid out the sequence of events that occurred that morning, beginning when Butterfield left his mother’s Morro Bay home to head to the beach at 10 a.m.
Less than 45 minutes later, a surfer found his body at 10:39 a.m., still attached to the board in water that was “very turbulent at the time,” indicating a murky quality, the report noted.
Other surfers were in the area at the time of the attack, according to the report.
Miller said one surfer noticed that Butterfield’s bodyboard was floating erect in the water and the victim was “suspended under the surface, still connected to the leash.” He was wearing a torn, dark-colored wetsuit and dark fins.
The surfers pulled the man out of the water, Miller wrote, and determined the extent of his injuries. Responding medics confirmed his death soon thereafter, Miller noted.
“I noted that the decedent’s extremities were cold but portions of his core that were shielded by the wetsuit were still noticeably warmer,” Miller wrote.
Injuries detailed
According to Carter’s portion of the report, Butterfield’s wounds consisted of three injuries to the right side of the head — including fractures of the right temporal bones and right side of the skull.
Other injuries included crushed areas of the right and left ribs, an opened abdominal cavity and injuries “of the inferior vena cava in the close relationship to the liver.”
An inferior vena cava is a large vein that carries blood from the torso and lower body to the right side of the heart.
The cause of death is determined to be from the blunt force trauma that took Butterfield’s life in “minutes,” Carter’s report notes.
No estimate as to the size or age of the shark is mentioned in the report, but a DNA sample taken during the autopsy confirmed they were from a great white shark, according to according to Mike Harris of Department of Fish and Wildlife, which assisted in the investigation.
Family members collect possessions
Butterfield’s uncle, Grant Butterfield, previously told The Tribune that his nephew loved the ocean, especially fishing and boogie-boarding.
Grant Butterfield said his nephew was visiting his mother and brother in Morro Bay for the holidays, which was noted in the sheriff’s report as well.
The coroner’s report noted that items from Butterfield’s vehicle collected into evidence were returned to the family.
“On Dec. 30, I made arrangements to meet with the decedent’s brother and mother and return the items recovered from the vehicle,” Miller wrote.
The detective noted the family wanted to learn all they could about what happened and collect his possessions.
“I was eventually able to get the wetsuit and small tooth fragment returned from (Fish and Wildlife),” Miller wrote. “The body board and fins were recovered from (evidence storage), and along with the wetsuit, were eventually turned over to (the family). I later returned the (shark’s) tooth fragment directly to the decedent’s brother at his request.”
This story was originally published March 29, 2022 at 6:35 PM with the headline "Exclusive: Great white shark killed man in Morro Bay; autopsy details wounds from attack."
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