The body of a two-year-old boy attacked by an alligator near a Disney Resort in Florida has been found. The family was vacationing at the Grand Floridian Resort.
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Officials said his body was found intact not far from where he boy was grabbed.
“At about 3:30 today we recovered the remains of the 2-year-old from the water and that body has been turned over to the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy”, said Demings.
He said the toddler most likely drowned. I looked up and I saw about a six to seven-foot alligator coming right at him about 10, 15 yards away. Matt Graves, who is a chief data officer and leader at Omaha Infogroup, reportedly tried to rescue the boy from the alligator during the incident, but was unsuccessful.
“Instead of just freezing, they chose to fight, to help me to fight to get away, and I’m here because of it”, he said. “It is my understanding, the father was very nearby and the child was playing in the water, with his foot in the water”, said Demings.
In Florida, alligators may be a common sight, but attacks are rare.
Suddenly, horror struck as an alligator sprang from the water and clamped its jaws around the boy.
The child had waded no more than one or two feet into the water around nightfall Tuesday when he was taken from a small beach, authorities said. Within a minute, the gator and boy were gone.
The boy’s mother also attempted to save her little boy as the boy’s father ran into the water.
If not, the search for alligators in the lake will continue.
“There are no words to convey the profound sorrow we feel for the family and their unimaginable loss”, Disney World Resort President George A. Kalogridis said in a statement.
“We want to say that our thoughts and prayers are with this family”, FWC Executive Director Nick Wiley said at the press conference.
Rescuers used sonar, infrared cameras, floodlights and a helicopter in their search.
In Lane’s case, five alligators were killed in the search for his body, but authorities have yet to determine which of them, if any, was responsible for the boy’s death.
“Remember, it is Florida”. Demings said it appeared the gator drowned the child and left the body near the spot where he was last seen.
“Disney has a wildlife management system that is in place and they have worked diligently to ensure that their guests are not unduly exposed to the wildlife here in this area”, he added.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said as of April, there had been only one major alligator attack in 2016.
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No other alligator attacks have been reported on the man-made lake, according to Demings.
