Outer Banks Swimmer Killed By Shark

September 21, 2009

National Geographic / Bull Shark

A late night swim ended tragically when Robert Snead of Pennsylvania disappeared leaving a lot of questions until days later when his body was found by an early morning walker after it washed up on the beach at Kill Devil Hill. An autopsy has determined the cause of death was from shark bites.

Shark bites killed Snead, the regional medical examiner’s office in Greenville, N.C., said Friday.
Snead suffered extensive injuries and there is no question that a shark attack caused his death, an autopsy assistant at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University said.
“Living tissues look different when they receive an injury, versus tissues that are already dead,” she said.
Officials had not determined what type of shark might have attacked Snead, who was on vacation with his family when he went for a swim sometime after 9 p.m. off Corolla, about 30 miles north of Kill Devil Hills.
His family reported him missing about 12:45 a.m. Sunday. Red flags had been posted Saturday warning people to stay out of the water because of dangerous surf.
It is likely Snead was attacked near the area where he went swimming, said Lt. Jason Banks of the Currituck County Sheriff’s Office, and the current carried his body south.

Virginia Pilot

While the specie of shark suspected in the attack has not been identified as of yet the Bull Shark in my opinion would be my prime suspect. While attacks are still pretty rare it seems a few attacks a year are reported in North Carolina waters with fatal attacks being even rarer. The last fatal attack in North Carolina waters prior to this one was in 2001.
Florida Museum of Natural History

National Geographic Info on Bull Sharks

Updates When Additional Information is Available.