Jaws Shock Piece

Amity High School senior found dead at South Beach this morning

Victim was badly mauled, and authorities are not yet sure at the cause of death

By Brian Ward

Amity- Christine W. Watson was found dead at South Beach this morning after disappearing from a beach party on Sun. night. Watson’s body had been mauled by an unknown attacker of unknown origin.

Watson had been attending a beach party on Sun. night before leaving with Christopher Hoggenbottam III, a sophomore at Trinity College, to go swimming. Watson, varsity swim team member and lifeguard at the Amity Island YMCA, entered the water at a remote section of South Beach near the South Beach Shoal bell buoy and didn’t come out.  Both teenagers had been drinking heavily at the party, and there were some reports of possible marijuana abuse.

Hoggenbottam notified the police about Watson’s disappearance at around 6 a.m. this morning, and a brief search found her body mangled on the beach.

The possibility of a shark attack hasn’t been ruled out, but according to Medical Examiner Robert Nevin, there is no evidence that the wounds were caused by a shark. “The wounds are consistent with a motorboat propeller,” Nevin said.

The weather was calm and clear on the night of Watson’s disappearance, and according to Mayor Larry Vaughan there is a good chance that Watson was hit by a fisherman out taking advantage of the good conditions. When asked how the death would effect Fourth of July events, Vaughan said ”it’s so far away from where people are swimming, no precautions will be taken.”