Well it figures! I live here and this is the first I have heard it was a shark bite. I heard that the body of the missing man washed up, but no info about cause of death. We sure don't want to scare the tourists away!
I'd put my money on a Bull shark because they are the species usually responsible for most bites in this area.
My heart goes out to the family however I don't understand why anyone would want to swim in the ocean at 9:00 PM because in Sept. that's dark. Most people, including those who don't live on the coast, know that some sharks feed at night and depending upon the tide are often found inside the breaker line or sandbar where the baitfish hide in the deeper depressions along the bottom.
Most shark fishing from the ocean fishing piers is done at night. It's a terrible way to spend a vacation.

This has to rank pretty high on the scale of most horrible vacations ever. You guys are right--9 p.m. is feeding time, not the best time to go for a swim.

That is tragic. I was on vacation in Corolla in June. While i had little luck surf fishing, i did see a LARGE predatory fish chasing jacks just beyond the surf while i was surfing...Alone. Needless to say, i didn't surf too much longer, as I'm aware of Bull Sharks not being rare there. While i did not see the telltale fin, I saw a large shadow, making a wake as it chased football size jacks, which were jumping to evade being eaten. I know it's not wise to surf alone which is why i went in shortly after the sighting. I've seen many sharks over my lifetime while surfing, but this scared me because bull sharks are known man-eaters. I am very curious where in corolla this was, in front of which sub-division.

Actions have consequences, common sense and general knowledge will tell you not to swim at night in the ocean.