Former Aspen Student Dies After Fatal Shark Attack

A shark attack killed high school student who was also a Peace Corps volunteer on a South Pacific Island.

Horan was taking a swim in the ocean after a soccer game when she was attacked by the shark.  When she resurfaced, one of her legs was gone and she began to lose blood rapidly which eventually became the cause of death.

Horan’s mother, Kristen Prater had the following to say:

"She was just such a phenomenal person with so much grace," Prater said. "I'm going to miss her so much."

"She just immediately created her own family in the village where she was," Prater said. "They fell in love with her. When she was struck by the shark and they got her into the canoe, she died very quickly. They carried her through the village in the rain and everyone was chanting."

"She had gone through a lot of hard times when she first got there and was thinking about coming back," said her boyfriend, Scott Jones. "Everything turned around. She ended up getting placed in the perfect village, and the last few times I talked to her she was so happy. One of the last letters I received from her she asked me to join her, and I wrote her back and I said I would. The mail was so slow I don't know if she ever got that response. She said I would learn the man things. I said I didn't care about any of that and I just wanted to be with her."

"Her actions followed her heart," Sheppard said. "Once you got to know Tessa, it didn't end at the end of the workday. She brought the sun with her. Always the bright star."