The Dorsal Fin

According to the Virginia Pilot, North Carolina’s medical examiners office has reverted back to its original conclusion in the cause of death of a Pennsylvania man who went missing while swimming off Corolla Beach, NC, last month. Earlier today, the Virginia Pilot reported the medical examiner’s office had ruled the cause of death as an accidental drowning. According to the latest Virginia Pilot article, the cause of death was reverted back to a shark attack after another marine biologist reviewed the evidence. However, Crystal Baity, a spokesperson for East Carolina University, where the autopsy occurred, said that the "continued uncertainty" will require that the case be further reviewed. Baity said she was unaware of how long the final review would take.

The flip-flopping in the ruling likely explains why the story appeared and then disappeared from WAVY-TV 10′s website yesterday. Hopefully, the medical examiner’s office can come to a solid conclusion soon.

In an update to yesterday’s post, multiple news sources are now reporting that the state medical examiner’s office has changed the cause of death from shark attack to accidental drowning, in the case of a 60-year old Pennsylvania man who went missing last month after going for a late-night swim off of Corolla Beach in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The Virginia Pilot, is now reporting that "a spokesman for the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, where the autopsy was conducted, confirmed the change in the cause of death." In addition, East Carolina Radio News is also reporting that a report from the office of the medical examiner in Greenville, NC states that the victim had drowned prior to sustaining shark bites.

It is unclear how or why the cause of the death was apparently misdiagnosed. As one reader commented at the Virginia Pilot article, “I hope this does not add to the family’s anguish.”