A coroner has ruled that Martyn Tann, a 24-year-old marine biologist and diver from New South Wales, was likely killed by a shark 13 years ago when he vanished without a trace at Mullaloo Beach in Perth.
Tann was visiting relatives in Perth in April 2013 when he went for a swim at Mullaloo Beach and never returned. His belongings were later found on the shore, prompting an extensive land and sea search that yielded no results.
An inquest into his disappearance, held on Monday, determined that Tann likely died on the same day he was last seen. Witnesses reported seeing him swimming out to a buoy several hundred meters from the shore.
The inquest heard that bubbling water observed by beachgoers was indicative of a fish feeding frenzy, which may have attracted sharks. A white shirt discovered on the beach around the time of Tann's disappearance exhibited "jagged cuts" consistent with a shark attack, according to a shark expert who examined it.
WA acting state coroner Sarah Linton stated that she is satisfied Mr. Tann is deceased and indicated a shark is a strong possibility for what happened to him. Further DNA testing is planned to determine if a dreadlock found washed ashore two months later belonged to Tann.
WA Police continue to treat the disappearance as an open investigation. Tann's family has expressed ongoing distress over the lack of closure.
"There's no closure when you've got a missing person," his father, Colin, told Nine News. "He was our youngest son. He's been gone 13 years. There's not a day that goes past without thinking about him."
The coroner is expected to release her full findings at a later date.