A rumor circulated online in August 2025 claiming an orca — also known as a killer whale — fatally attacked a marine trainer named Jessica Radcliffe in front of a crowd. According to the story, Radcliffe was living out her childhood dreams training killer whales.

There is no Jessica Radcliffe, at least not in the world of orca training. Multiple sources have confirmed she doesn’t exist, and the so-called “attack footage” is actually AI-generated.

While this orca attack report is fake, there have been past instances where trainers have been killed by orcas – most notably the Dawn Brancheau case.