Sheriff’s Office emphasizes no evidence of shark attack, in spite of witness speculation
The man who died during a Sept. 21 incident off Beach Access 9 on Siesta Key has been identified as John A. Miller, 46, of Sarasota, The Sarasota News Leader learned this week from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.
In a Facebook post, the Maloney Funeral Home noted that Miller was a Wisconsin native who worked in construction “and resided half the year in Hillsboro, Ohio,” and the other half in Sarasota. “He attended the Amish Church and loved fishing,” the notice added.
His funeral was conducted on Sept. 27 at the Tourist Mennonite church on Bahia Vista Street in Sarasota, the News Leader also learned. He was survived by his parents and his seven children, Echovita’s obituary said.
In an Oct. 7 email, in response to News Leader questions, Matt Binkley, manager of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office’s Community Affairs division, noted details in the agency’s report about the Access 9 incident.
An examination of Miller’s body after his death found that he had no apparent fresh injuries, Binkley pointed out. However, he did have a large laceration near his left calf muscle, approximately 3 inches long, “and several small lacerations on his right leg near his calf muscle. It was unclear if those injuries were sustained from this event or earlier,” Binkley added.
However, he wrote that they “did appear to be recent.”
The News Leader was unable to obtain a copy of Miller’s autopsy report prior to the deadline for publication of this issue.
In his email, Binkley also referenced a witness who told a deputy that she had observed Miller screaming for help and then begin ” ‘thrashing around in the water’ ” before he collapsed and became submerged. “The witness thought he was being attacked by a shark,” Binkley added. Yet, Binkley pointed out, “There is no evidence of such an attack.”
When the News Leader reported on the incident, it included information from the International Shark Attack File of the Florida Museum, showing that, since 1882, no unprovoked shark attacks had been confirmed in Sarasota County.
Another witness who spoke with a deputy on the Siesta beach reported that she had seen Miller on a sandbar in the Gulf, calling for help and waving his arms.