Twenty-five-year-old Lauren Failla, a 2007 Vanderbilt graduate, who double-majored in Human & Organizational Development and Art Studio, was attacked and killed by a saltwater crocodile while on vacation in India’s Andaman Islands, according to The Today Show.
On April 28, Failla was vacationing with her boyfriend after receiving her master’s degree in art from Sotheby’s Art Institute in London, when a crocodile attacked her while she was snorkeling, The Today Show reported. Her remains were recovered two days later.
There is a saltwater crocodile sanctuary on another island near the resort where Failla and her boyfriend were staying. Crocodiles sometimes will cross to Havelock Island, where Failla was killed, according to The Today Show. Family and friends were upset there were no signs that indicated the sanctuary’s proximity, or threat of danger.
Four years ago, the Failla family also lost Lauren Failla’s sister, Emily, when she fell 500 feet while rock climbing in Washington, according to . Emily Failla graduated from Vanderbilt in 2003 and earned a master of education at Vanderbilt's Peabody College in 2005.
