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Friends and family of 44-year-old Lauren Erickson Van Wart who was killed in the Bahamas in a shark attack on Monday, are in utter shock after learning of her death.

“She always seemed very nice, always waved to us, said ‘hello.’ [She was] very neighborly,” Beth Stack Emerson said of her neighbor.

Van Wart lived in the Lowell neighborhood for a decade and Stack Emerson would often see Van Wart walking the dog and waving as she passed by.

Last week was the last time Stack Emerson saw her in their Boston neighborhood.

“[It was a] trip of a lifetime. It’s heartbreaking, it really is.

“Shocking. These poor people, they probably looked forward to this vacation for months.” Stack Emerson lamented to CBS News.

Van Wart was a newlywed, having just married on Sunday. She was reportedly with her husband when the shocking incident occurred, while paddle boarding three-quarters of a mile off the shore of the Sandals resort beach, where she was a guest at Sandals Royal Bahamian.

Rescued by a lifeguard, Van Wart was severely bitten by a shark and sustained serious injuries to her thigh region and arm, dying shortly afterward.

Her new husband was not injured during the ordeal.

Van Wart worked as a math editor at Curriculum Associates for nine years. CEO of the institution, Rob Waldron said he and his staff are inconsolable.

“Our team is heartbroken and grieving the loss of a dear and trusted colleague and friend. Lauren was a beloved member of our math editorial team, and she infused her deep dedication to students and educators into every material she touched. Her commitment to excellence and outstanding work was driven by a higher purpose, focused on improving learning outcomes for all. Our Curriculum Associates community is mourning this tragedy and extends our deepest love and support to Lauren’s wonderful husband and all of her family.” 

The type of shark in the attack has not yet been identified.

Though shark attacks are rare, the Bahamas has the highest number of attacks in the Caribbean region.

Following the shocking death of an American tourist in a fatal shark attack The Bahamas on Monday, experts contends that incidents like this are rare. However, the country has the highest number of shark attacks in the Caribbean region.

In the Bahamas, there have only been 33 confirmed unprovoked attacks since 1580, according to Gavin Naylor, the program director of the International Shark Attack File, a database which tracks such incidents.

The fatal death of newlywed American tourist Lauren Erickson Van Wart on Monday shined a spotlight on attacks in the Bahamas. The 44-year-old woman from Boston, Massachusettes was paddle boarding a mile off from the western end of New Providence when a shark attacked her, biting and seriously injuring her lower right hip and right arm.

She died in the water.

The type of shark in the attack has not yet been identified.

Van Warts’ death is particularly alarming since the country has seen a spate in shark attacks, in recent times. In September 2022, Caroline DiPlacido, 57, from Pennsylvania, was killed near Rose Island while snorkelling with her children on a week-long cruise.

In August 2022, eight-year-old Finley Downer of Great Britain was attacked by nurse sharks but lived to tell the tale. He was in a lagoon at Compass Cay when the shark bit his leg and underwent a three-hour operation.

And in June 2019, Jordan Lindsey 21, was killed by a group of sharks while on vacation in waters near Rose Island.

Why do sharks attack?

Following Van Wart’s death, shark experts have echoed that these incidents are rare, arguing that in most cases, it is a mistaken identity.

Nick Whitney, a senior scientist at the New Englan Aquarium said, “Humans just happen to be unfortunate enough to be swimming in the water in a place where the shark was feeding on something else and the shark accidentally bites the person or investigates the person and uses their teeth to do that investigation.”

Sharks are known by researchers to bite people when they are confused or curious, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. For instance, if a shark sees someone splashing in the water, it may try to investigate, leading to an accidental attack.

“If people were targeted by sharks, we’d see 1,000 bites a day. We don’t,” Naylor, program director of the International Shark Attack File in Florida stated.

“In fact, humans and sharks do their best to avoid one another.”

Naylor said there is a strong correlation between shark attacks and the number of people and sharks in the water at the same time. He said that, while this may be an obvious point, it reiterates that sharks are not intentionally going after humans.

Why does it seem like there are so many shark attacks in the Bahamas?

Some experts say that because the Bahamas has a large tourist population, with lots of people in the water at a given time, and lots of visitors who view the sharks from fishing boats, or often dive with them, the sharks adjust and become less cautious with humans than they once were.

Between 30 to 40 shark species live around the Bahamas, although the Caribbean reef shark, the bull shark, the tiger shark and the black tip shark have the highest bite frequency, Naylor said.

“Usually, it’s an accidental bite. They think it’s something else,” he said. “Once in a while, they’ll actually single out people, and it’s very intentional.”

During the incident involving Erickson Van Wart, it is not known how many people were in the water at that given time and whether or not the shark mistook the paddle board for something else.

How often do sharks attack?

Only 5 to 6 incidents are reported each year with most attacks happening in Australia. In 2022, fifty-seven (57) cases were reported, with the majority in the USA.

The Bahamas ranks 9th worldwide, in shark attacks, marking the highest rate in the Caribbean.

Featured Photo credit: Reuters/Dante Carrer

The deaths of three Americans at a Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort in Exuma were mystifying until the autopsy report revealed they died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

The deaths, which are unusual for the Bahamas, were reported on international news stations while speculations swirled that it could negatively impact the Bahamas’ tourism product.

The Americans have been identified as husband and wife–68-year-old Michael Phillips and 65-year-old Robbie Phillips of Tennesee; and 64-year-old Vincent Paul Charello of Florida.

What have the investigations revealed?

The first test sent to a lab in Philadelphia revealed that carbon monoxide killed the three American tourists and was received by authorities on Sunday.

The family hired a private pathologist to investigate the deaths.

What happened?

The unfortunate incident affected four guests in villas next to each other, killing only three. The survivor, 65-year-old Donnis Chiarella was paralyzed in a Florida hospital.

The day before, the guests sought treatment from a medical doctor on the island after experiencing nausea and convulsions. They returned to the villas and investigators believe their deaths occurred between 11 pm Thursday and 8 am on Friday.

Michael Phillips and Robbie Phillips who were celebrating their wedding anniversary were found deceased in the bedroom and bathroom of their villa. They were travel agents specializing in Caribbean honeymoons and romantic getaways.

Vincent Paul Charello was discovered dead on the floor of the villa. Donnis Charello was paralyzed with swollen arms and legs and was discovered screaming for help before she was flown to Florida for medical assistance.

Reports surfaced that some guests at the resort complained of a strange odor from an insecticide sprayed in the area, the day before the reported deaths.

Who is responsible for the deaths?

Sandals will be responsible for the deaths of the three American visitors. A source of the carbon monoxide leak has not been released or investigated as yet, but pools and spas are common sources of carbon monoxide poisoning since damaged exhaust systems from heaters are responsible for numerous fatalities or injuries every year.

Following the death of hotel mogul Gordon “Butch” Stewart, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis remembered him as “a loyal son of the Caribbean, who delighted in the extraordinary potential and breathtaking beauty of the region.”

Minnis said Gordon was a “great friend and lover of the Islands of the Bahamas and the Bahamian people.”

Gordon established the Sandals Resort at a time “when the Bahamas was looking for investors to acquire government-owned hotels.”

“Gordon significantly and immediately added to the number of rooms and employees of the resort and the reputation of the Bahamas,” he said.

Minnis added, “Gordon “Butch” Stewart “Stewart was an intrepid innovator. He was the ultimate dreamcatcher who was happy to listen to the ideas of others and to change his mind when inspired or enthused by the dreams and ideas of others.

“His commitment to the region was manifest in the economic impact of his properties throughout the region, including his resorts in the Bahamas at Sandals Royal Bahamian on New Providence and at Fowl Cay and Emerald Bay in the Exumas.”

Minnis said Gordon was enthusiastic about the extraordinary potential of the Caribbean and often, remarked about the untapped potential of the Bahamas.

Gordon died in hospital on Monday. He was 79-years-old.

Hotelier and founder of Sandals Resorts, Gordon Stewart died in hospital on Monday night at 79 years old.

In a statement released after his death, his son, Adam stated that his father’s death was “unbelievable.”

“He chose to keep a very recent health diagnosis private and we respected that wish,” Adam said.

He described his father as a “gifted entrepreneur,” a “marketing genius,” “talented showman” and “a dreamer who could dream bigger and better than anyone.”

Who was Gordon Butch Stewart?

• He was born in 1941 in Kingston, Jamaica, and was given the nickname “Butch” by an American sailor.
• He established Sandals, which became a popular hotel chain in the Caribbean region.
• He was also responsible for Beaches Resorts and the parent company Sandals Resorts International.
• The tourism mogul and businessman was the founder, owner, and chairman of The ATL Group and its subsidiaries Appliance Traders and The Jamaica Observer.
• Prime Minister Andrew Holness described the hotel mogul as having “an eye for detail, and [an] ability to market and deliver world-class service in any endeavor.”
• Holness said Stewart was an extraordinary human being with an unwavering commitment to the social good.