Was a marine animal trainer called ‘Jessica Radcliffe’ killed by an orca?

The claim that a marine animal trainer named Jessica Radcliffe has been killed by an orca—or killer whale—during a live performance has gone viral on social media in recent days.

Thousands of people have reacted to posts on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram that share images and videos supposedly showing the attack, with captions including “justice for Jessica” and “R.I.P Jessica Radcliffe”.

But we could find no evidence of any such attack, or that a trainer called Jessica Radcliffe ever actually existed. Versions of the claim have been online for several months, and refer to the incident happening at different marine parks that also aren’t real.

The images and videos supposedly showing the incident have been created with artificial intelligence.

There was no such incident

We could find no credible reports of there being any such recent fatality due to an orca attack.

A marine trainer, Dawn Brancheau, was killed by an orca at SeaWorld Orlando in 2010, which was widely reported at the time, and featured in the documentary ‘Blackfish’. It’s reasonable to assume that if there had been another fatal attack recently, especially in front of an audience, it would also have been widely reported.

The false claim appears to have first been shared in a YouTube video published in January 2025 that has almost 2 millions views and the description: “The HORRIFYING last moments of orca trainer Jessica Radcliffe”.

It shows a montage featuring orcas and various trainers, with a voiceover that claims Jessica Radcliffe reached “fame at the age of just 21” for her work with orcas before the fatal accident that supposedly took place at “Ocean Haven Marine Park”.

However we could find no evidence that a trainer called Jessica Radcliffe ever existed, despite her supposed fame. We also couldn’t find any trace of a marine park with this name.

However, the video does go on to talk about Daniel P. Dukes, who was found dead in a tank with an orca in SeaWorld in Orlando in 1999.

Some of the footage credits Magnolia Pictures, which acquired Blackfish along with CNN films, and shows Dawn Brancheau performing at SeaWorld in Orlando before her death. Another clip with a CNN watermark shows a separate incident in which a trainer, Tamarie Tollison, was pulled into a pool by two orcas at SeaWorld in San Diego in a 2002 incident that she survived.

Another YouTube video shared in April 2025 repeats the claim but says the incident happened at a park called Sealand, supposedly on the Florida coast. Again, we could find no record of any such park in Florida (although there was a marine park called Sealand of the Pacific in British Columbia in Canada that closed in 1992).

Moreover, the video’s description says the clip is “true-life inspired” and that Jessica Radcliffe is “a fictional trainer based on real-world events”.

Following the death of Dawn Brancheau, SeaWorld reportedly voluntarily pulled its trainers from performing shows in the water with orcas. The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) also recommended trainers stop going into the water with killer whales and have physical barriers between them and the whales, which was upheld by a federal appeals court after SeaWorld challenged the recommendations.

AI-generated content

There have been many images and videos circulating online claiming to show before, after or during the alleged attack on “Jessica Radcliffe”. Some have even been shared with overlaid text saying “real footage”.

While we’ve not been able to check all of the content, the handful we looked at were generated with AI.

One post shares a short montage of clips appearing to show a woman being pulled underwater before a splash of red appears. It has been shared with the caption: “I just saw this story of a lady by name Jessica Radcliffe a marine trainer k*lled by orca, and honestly that was ho*rri*dying to see [sic]”.

Five seconds into the clip, the orca’s fin dramatically distorts and its tail then warps into the trainer’s feet. Those on the poolside, who don’t appear to have legs, also react in exact unison. The bodies of the trainer and orca also appear to merge together briefly 10 seconds into the clip.

Another video shows a woman balancing and waving on an orca before losing control and being pulled under. This has the glossy, overly smooth appearance that is common with content generated with AI, and a closer look at the crowds shows they blur and warp as people react to the scene.

Dr Siwei Lyu, an expert in digital media forensics, also points to how the woman’s face distorts two seconds into the clip, and a lifeguard’s leg detaches from their body when running at five seconds, as other signs it is AI.

Similarly, one collaged picture includes an image where a person’s body is hanging from the mouth of an orca, while another collage features an image of a person’s arms or legs—which are a distorted shape, as if they’ve been broken—in the mouth of an orca covered in blood. These again have the overly glossy sheen common of AI-generated images.

It’s important to consider whether information you see online comes from credible sources before sharing it. Our toolkit offers advice on how to navigate bad information online, while you can find specific tips for identifying AI-generated content in our guide.