Ep 2. Sunset Cliffs - UPDATE
In spite of being chronologically the second episode of Season 1, ‘Sunset Cliffs’ was in fact the true starting point for the whole series, being conceived of, written and recorded long before any other episodes. You can listen to this haunting story here to refresh your memory, but in summary, it tells the story of a young Californian woman, Michelle Von Emster, whose shark-bitten body was found floating in the surf off Sunset Cliffs, Ocean Beach in 1994. After initial certainty amongst local authorities that she had been the victim of a rare fatal shark attack, this conclusion started to fall apart, and soon many other possible scenarios to explain her death began to emerge - a motorboat accident, a car crash, even murder. In Shark Files’ investigation of the case, death by shark bite and some of the more outlandish theories were dismissed, but ultimately no definite solution was reached and the episode finished on an open-ended note:
‘For now the truth lies submerged, waiting to be salvaged…’
Now however, it seems that the truth, or something very closely resembling it, has finally floated to the surface- though perhaps we can’t quite lift it from the tide and lay it to rest.
It started a few months ago when I happened to check the Wikipedia page for Michelle Von Emster to remind myself of a date. As I scrolled down, I came across a new addition to the page - ‘Cause of death known. Details not released to the public’. My initial reaction was to scoff at how easy it is to edit a Wiki article, though I did start to wonder who would bother to do so, and why. It was only much more recently when this Reddit post presented a thorough overview and discussion on the case, that I decided to reinvestigate it. Some meticulous Redditors had pointed out that in the Wiki Edit history for the page from 21 June 2021, a user named ‘Colontm’ had got a copyrighted image removed and added a sidenote: ‘Updated details about my sister’s death - no mystery on this one’. Although I was still skeptical, I decided to dig a bit deeper and went back through old notes and bookmarks to find the names of Michelle’s sisters. Through Facebook I was subsequently able to track them down and it was how I came across a shocking discovery.
I’ve thought long and hard about why this information would not have been officially made public, and whether I should do so on Shark Files. Ultimately I’ve decided that as it is already in the public domain- though virtually unknown- and it absolves the San Diego county authorities of any remaining blame or suspicion, it is right to share it.
‘I am convinced that the reason we have so much stigma in the world is that we don’t tell the whole truth, and we need that whole truth to know just how broken our world is.’
These are the words of Teresa Colón, a mental health campaigner, support group leader, and the younger sister of Michelle Von Emster. On February 4th 2019, Teresa published an article entitled ‘The Roman Catholic Church Raped My Family’ on a site called Women Writing Memoir. In it she alleges that as a teenager Michelle was the victim of sustained psychological and sexual abuse by their local Catholic priest in San Carlos, California. Teresa writes that subsequently her beloved sister’s life went off the rails for the first time. First mysterious fainting fits, then alcoholism and growing dependency on cannabis and cocaine - ‘It was the first time I thought we were going to lose her’, she remembered.
The years that followed were full of trauma and pain- dropping out of college, cancer treatments, and a strained relationship with her parents. Near the end of her short life, while living in Ocean Beach and nursing a heroin habit, Michelle was robbed at gunpoint while working in a café. Soon after her lifeless body was found floating off South Garbage and though Teresa does not explicitly state a cause of death, from her powerful article I feel it’s clearly implied how she believes her sister’s life came to a tragic end. Considering the later sex abuse convictions against the priest alleged to have tormented Michelle, and the overall weight of evidence, it seems a compelling and highly likely explanation. Though the Statute of Limitations has by now passed, making a legal case impossible, in my view this is the closest we will get to solving Michelle Von Emster’s heartbreaking case- and that it is also entirely understandable why her family have kept a low profile around it. The public posts of remembrance to Michelle on her birthday and anniversary by her other sisters show no signs of any search for answers or unresolved investigations regarding her death. Simply they mourn her passing and share fond memories of their cherished sibling.
Suicide has often been suggested by those who’ve covered the case, but a number of points had raised doubts over the theory- namely Michelle’s purse being found in a busy area only the following night, and the nature of her injuries. Yet, in any unsolved case there are multiple details that seem inexplicable and meaningful, and it is only when the case is eventually solved that they are revealed to have just been slightly unusual variations that happen all the time in a course of a day. They simply take on significance once they become part of an important, mysterious event. I have expanded on a couple of explanations for both the purse and the injuries on this aforementioned Reddit post so will let that rest here.
One shining ray of sunlight out of this dark story is the strength and bravery of Teresa Colón to give a voice to her deceased, silent sister and to offer help to those who may be facing similar struggles. I hope she and her family can gain the peace and healing they are searching for. And as Teresa mentions at the end of her article, if you have been the victim of priest abuse, or specifically the victim of the particular priest she implicates, please contact her for support.
RIP ~ Michelle Von Emster ~ 2 Aug, 1968 - 14 Apr, 1994