Law enforcement investigating death of great white shark at Aptos beach 
 
 APTOS, Calif. - UPDATE: 6/20/2018 3:00 p.m. Law enforcement officials with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife are investigating the death of a great white shark that washed ashore an Aptos beach on Sunday. 
 
 The Department said necropsy results are in but they're not releasing that information at this time. 
 
 Experts believe the shark was a juvenile, weighing about 500 pounds and eight feet in length. 
 
 The shark was found with cuts and wounds around it's body. 
 
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 UPDATE 06/18/18 5:40PM A Great White Shark washed-up on an Aptos beach, Sunday. 
 
 The young, male, shark was found dead near the Seascape Beach Resort. 
 
 Experts on scene tell KION it is around eight feet long and about 500 pounds. 
 
 “It’s in the same generational category as the other two that stranded last year. These are all sub-adults and we suspect it’s from the same group of sharks that began moving in in 2015,” says Sean Van Sommeran with the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation. 
 
 They are still trying to figure out how it got there and why it died. The shark has puncture wounds on the body, indicating a possible fight with another sea animal. 
 
 But Van Sommeran says that's probably not why the shark died, “it could have swallowed some debris or junk. It could have a hook injury, you know try to steal somebody’s fish and swallow a hook and if it hooks in the wrong spot they’ll bleed out just like a salmon. Or it could be one of the pathogens we’ve identified through the study since 2007 with a number of different sharks.” 
 
 The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is handling the necropsy. They tell KION they will preform it on Tuesday and could have results as early as Tuesday night, or later in the week. 
 
 Responders say after an incident last year when a sharks dorsal fin was cut off they have to respond quickly when a shark washes to shore. 
 
 "Also because the teeth, you know, the fin was taken off the one last year. You can get 1000 bucks 
 
 for that thing if you find the right market. Cause it’s illegal and that makes the price go up,” says Van Sommeran. 
 
 Experts say if you come across a marine animal stranded on shore, report it to lifeguards or authorities right away. Wether it is dead or alive it is still valuable. 
 
 PREVIOUS STORY: 
 
 A Great White Shark washed-up on an Aptos beach, Sunday. 
 
 The young, male, shark was found dead near the Seascape Beach Resort. 
 
 Experts on scene tell KION it is around eight feet long and about 500 pounds. They are still trying to figure out how it got there and why it died. Their theories point to puncture wounds on the body, indicating a possible fight with another sea animal. 
 
 UC Santa Cruz is handling the necropsy. 
 
 KION's Ashley Keehn has the details at 5 and 6 p.m. ||||| Aptos great white shark death investigation turns criminal 
 
 Now Playing: 
 
 An investigation into why a great white shark washed ashore dead on an Aptos beach has now turned into a criminal investigation. 
 
 The young, 500-pound, 9-foot-long adult male shark was discovered Sunday morning on Seascape Beach. Researchers conducted a necropsy to determine the seemingly healthy shark's cause of death. 
 
 During the necropsy, something was discovered that troubled researchers. 
 
 "Upon receiving the lab's necropsy results, our law enforcement division is now taking up the investigation," said Peter Tira of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. 
 
 Tira would not say what researchers found that led them to get law enforcement involved. 
 
 A marine biologist lies next to a dead shark washed up on a beach in Aptos, Calif., on June 17, 2018. A marine biologist lies next to a dead shark washed up on a beach in Aptos, Calif., on June 17, 2018. Photo: Giancarlo Thomae 
 
 Photo: Neil Hammerschlag, Associated Press 
 
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 Photo: Giancarlo Thomae Image 1 of / 28 Caption Close Aptos great white shark death investigation turns criminal 1 / 28 Back to Gallery 
 
 Suspicion that foul play may be involved in the great white shark's death sent shock waves through the research community, especially among those who study the protected species. 
 
 "Great white's have numerous protections under state and federal laws. They are an extremely rare animal and play a crucial role at keeping the oceans, ecosystems and food webs balanced," said marine biologist Giancarlo Thomae. 
 
 MORE: Researcher tries to end controversy over photo with shark 
 
 If someone intentionally killed the shark, they could face stiff penalties and fines. 
 
 When the 500-pound shark was discovered Sunday, it didn't appear to have any obvious signs of trauma other than small wounds from sea lion bites on its face. 
 
 One researcher described it as "fat and robust." ||||| CLICK HERE if you are having a problem viewing the photos or video on a mobile device 
 
 APTOS — Concerned the ocean would reclaim the very dead and very heavy juvenile great white shark before it could be carted off to a research lab, one marine biologist laid down next to the fearsome fish while another snapped a picture to document its size. 
 
 The photo, taken at Beer Can Beach in Aptos on Sunday, was posted on the Facebook page of Salinas-based TV station KSBW, where it received a number of negative comments. 
 
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 “This was once a living being and it’s just OK to lay next to it smiling?” one person wrote. “This is appalling … justice needs to be had.” 
 
 “This could not be more messed up,” wrote another. 
 
 The marine biologist who captured the moment, Giancarlo Thomae, defended his colleague in a phone interview Monday. He knew how tall she was and had her lie next to the shark for scale. 
 
 “We didn’t know if this animal would be lost to the tide,” Thomae said. “That was the reason why we did it.” 
 
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 But Thomae said he understood why some people found the picture deeply upsetting. 
 
 “People are really opinionated especially with such a majestic creature washing up dead,” he said. “As a marine biologist and a fellow nature lover, I admire the fact that people are sad and concerned about the animals.” 
 
 Eventually, help arrived to transport the shark to the UC Santa Cruz-affiliated Joseph M. Long Marine Laboratory, where a necropsy is scheduled to take place Tuesday. 
 
 Thomae, who also works as a captain for Moss Landing-based Sanctuary Cruises Whale Watching, has been studying great whites for the past four years. He said the shark, which measured 8 feet 9 inches long and weighed about 500 pounds, was “very fat and healthy.” 
 
 “Whatever killed the shark killed it quickly,” he said. 
 
 The great white had fresh puncture wounds and scars from feeding on sea lions and even had sea lion fur in its jaws, but Thomae said he doubted the predator was killed by its prey. 
 
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 Instead, the great white likely died from a bacterial infection, he said. 
 
 “There have been strains of bacteria that affect brain functions of sharks, and many shark deaths have been blamed on Carnobacterium infections in previous years,” said Thomae in a news release, adding that the bacteria are nearly harmless to humans. 
 
 The carcass also presents a unique opportunity for researchers, Thomae said. To his knowledge, the great white is only the second to wash up on area beaches in the past couple of years. 
 
 “The only way you can research them is by either tagging them or by studying a dead one,” he said. 
 
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 Despite the negative reaction to the photo, Thomae said he wouldn’t think twice about taking another one if faced with a similar set of circumstances. 
 
 “As a scientist and marine biologist,” he said, “I’m going to do whatever needs to be done to get the job done.”
– A great white shark with cuts and puncture wounds on its body washed ashore, dead, on a beach in Aptos, Calif., Sunday, and law enforcement officials with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife are investigating. The male shark, believed to be a juvenile, weighed about 500 pounds and was eight or nine feet long. A necropsy was completed on the seemingly healthy shark, which was described as "fat and robust," and something it uncovered led the investigation to turn criminal, but it's not clear what, the San Francisco Chronicle reports, noting that the idea of foul play being involved sent "shock waves" through the research community. "Great whites have numerous protections under state and federal laws. They are an extremely rare animal and play a crucial role at keeping the oceans, ecosystems and food webs balanced," one researcher says. Another researcher had earlier theorized to KION the shark may have been involved in a fight with another sea animal, swallowed debris, suffered an injury from a fishing hook, or that a pathogen could be to blame. A marine biologist had previously come under fire for posing for a photo with the dead shark, the San Jose Mercury News reports, though researchers said they were just attempting to document its size in case it washed away before its body could be recovered.