LOS ANGELES — Tomas Abraham Butterfield headed into the Pacific Ocean with his wetsuit, fins and a bodyboard around 10 a.m. Christmas Eve. He was visiting his mother in Morro Bay last Christmas. The waters were turbulent at the spot known to locals as "the Pit" just north of Morro Rock, but Butterfield was an avid outdoor enthusiast.
Less than 45 minutes later, a surfer spotted Butterfield's body floating in the water. He was 42.
Investigators determined that a shark bit Butterfield on multiple parts of his body, according to a San Luis Obispo County coroner's report released March 16. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife would later confirm through DNA samples that it was an approximately 16-foot great white shark. Butterfield was bitten on his head, right shoulder and the right side of his chest, according to the autopsy report that was first reported by the San Luis Obispo Tribune earlier this week after a public records request.
