“They appreciate all of the prayers”, he said.
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Although wildlife officials have insisted such attacks are rare, alligators have killed five people in Florida in the last 10 years. The father and child were wading in shallow water on the edge of the lake when the alligator attacked.
“The family has given us a message”.
“A maintenance worker who lived in the area had told them you shouldn’t be on this beach because it’s breeding season for alligators”, Saunders said.
George A. Kalogridis, president of Walt Disney World Resort, also offered his condolences in a statement on Wednesday.
The boy, whose name was not released by authorities, was attacked by the reptile at the Seven Seas Lagoon at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Lake Buena Vista near Orlando, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.
The search and rescue effort began after eyewitnesses reported seeing the boy being taken under the water by the alligator at 9pm on Tuesday night.
He stressed neither the Graves family nor staff at Disney were to blame.
The county sheriff believes that the 2-year old Graves may have been drowned by the alligator, but autopsy results are yet to be revealed.
When asked if Disney was aware of alligators on the property, Ms Wahaler advised there were signs that said “no swimming”.
The sheriff said the company has a wildlife management system and has “worked diligently to ensure their guests are not unduly exposed to wildlife here in this area”.
They trapped and killed five alligators from the Seven Seas Lagoon during their search for the boy.
Lane had been playing in about one foot of water in the lagoon at Disney’s Grand Floridian resort. They have full-time staff members whose job is to monitor the waters and report alligators for removal.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office dive team located the body around 1:45 p.m. and recovered at 3:30pm.
Mr Demings said his agency and state wildlife officials would look into the issue of warning signs. Florida authorities found intact on Wednesday afternoon the body of the victim.
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“This is a tough situation”, Demings said.
