A two-year-old boy was found dead after he was snatched by an alligator in shallow water as his family enjoyed a movie night outside Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
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Demings said the boy’s body was found at about 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, and the remains were fully recovered at about 3:30 p.m.
Jerry Demings, sheriff of Orange County, says they will go through the formality of identifying the victim.
The child and his family were visiting from Elkhorn, Neb.
They trapped and killed five alligators from the Seven Seas Lagoon during their search for the boy.
Wildlife officials count around a dozen alligator bites a year in Florida, but fatalities from the reptiles are far less common. It included boat patrol units and dive teams.
When asked if Disney was aware of alligators on the property, Ms Wahaler advised there were signs that said “no swimming”.
“The gator swam away with the child”, Williamson said.
The family says they appreciate all of the prayers of everyone and the job of law enforcement to recover their son so they can move forward with a proper burial.
According to the Guardian Florida Fish and Wildlife, Reedy Creek Fire Rescue, and the Sheriff’s Office have involved the use of a helicopter and are carrying out a search and recovery operation for the child. Both the father and mother entered the water to try to pry their son from the gator’s grasp, but to no avail.
Demings said the Graves were distraught yet relieved that this was not a protracted search.
According to Demings, the family was vacationing from Nebraska.
George A. Kalogridis, president of Walt Disney World Resort, also offered his condolences in a statement on Wednesday.
Disney has never recorded an attack or incident with an alligator at the Seven Seas.
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The alligator is between 4 and 7 feet long, Demings said, adding he’s unsure of its exact size.
