SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) - The Santa Barbara County coroner says it's likely a great white shark was responsible for killing a body boarder last week at a Central California beach.
The coroner's office made the announcement Monday after conferring with shark expert Ralph Collier, president of the Shark Research Committee and author of "Shark Attacks of the 20th Century."
Collier says the shark that killed 19-year-old Lucas Ransom was 17 to 18 feet long and weighed possibly 4,000 pounds.
Collier based his finding on witness accounts, facts gathered during the investigation, and measuring the distance between teeth marks on the board.
Surf Beach, where Ransom was killed, reopened Monday morning.