Father Recalls Final Moments Before Sharks Killed His Daughter, 21, on Bahamas Family Vacation: 'We Cry Every Night'

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Life hasn’t been the same for Jordan Lindsey’s family since June 26, when the 21-year-old woman, from Torrance, California, was attacked by a group of sharks while snorkeling with her family in the Bahamas.

Jordan’s father, Michael Lindsey, opened up about the tragedy in an interview with Good Morning America on Wednesday. He said that Jordan was with her mother, Kami, on a last-minute excursion to Rose Island with the Sandy Toes Tour Company.

“Kami … had the worst, like, 10 times worst thing. She has her daughter die in her arms on a trip,” Michael said. “I mean, we cry every night still … when [Kami] closes her eyes, she’s back in that water again. She’s seen all the blood. She [has] seen her poor daughter die in her arms.”

The group was in a part of the water famous for snorkeling and swimming with pigs, and Michael and Jordan’s other relatives were in another part of the water, he said. Kami was just a few feet away from Jordan when a group of sharks pounced.

“Kami said she heard Jordan yell like, ‘Mom.’ She thought dolphins were around Jordan. Then she realized, like, right away that, like, Jordan was screaming,” Michael continued, noting that Kami quickly swam to Jordan and tried to pull her to safety but another shark attacked.

“Jordan said, ‘Mom, there’s another shark coming!’ And then the second shark hit her,” he told the outlet. “The second shark hit again, like, on her lower leg. And then that’s the last thing … Jordan said.”

The sharks tore off her right arm and she suffered bites to her left arms, both legs and her buttocks, police said, according to ABC News. She was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Michael said Jordan had already died by the time he reached the hospital.

“I walked in and they said, ‘Your daughter’s gone,’ ” he told GMA.

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In a previous statement to PEOPLE, the family criticized the tour company for not doing more to help in the situation.

The family said that no staff members or guides entered the water with Jordan and Kami that day, and the pair was fairly far from other snorkelers. The family added that no Sandy Toes employees entered the water when Jordan was attacked.

“No one jumped in,” the statement read. “Shockingly, no staff mobilized to assist in any way. As [Kami] swam to Jordan and told Jordan to try to swim toward her, she thought certainly a boat would come to whisk them out of the water and harm’s way, but that did not happen.”

In a statement to PEOPLE, Sandy Toes said it would “again like to extend our deepest and sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Jordan Lindsey who recently passed away as a result of a shark attack in waters near Rose Island in The Bahamas.”

RELATED: Family of 21-Year-Old Killed by Sharks in Bahamas Speaks Out: ‘No One Jumped in’ to Help

“All reasonable steps were taken to prevent this very unfortunate incident and our staff responded swiftly and in line with our emergency protocols and procedures,” the company said. “We continue to pray for the Lindsey family and all those who have been impacted by this tragic occurrence.”

VIDEO: Shark Expert Jamin Martinelli Says Sharks Read Body Language: ‘Just Remain Calm’

Jordan’s family has called for tour groups to implement safety precautions, including appointing a guard to look specifically for sharks, establishing an emergency plan for shark attacks and having proper medical supplies on all tours.

Michael told GMA that he will always remember Jordan as his “little guardian angel.”

“She took care of me,” he said. “I just … I remember kissing her on the forehead, and that’s the last time I seen her. I just kissed her on the forehead and said, ‘I’ll see you later, Jordan.’ “

Jordan was in her third year at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, the university’s president, Timothy Law Snyder, said in a statement.


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