Florida wildlife officials are trying to determine if a 12-foot alligator contributed to a swimmer’s death at a central Florida state park.
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James Okkerse’s body was found by officers in a swimming area at the spring, after people he was snorkeling with reported him missing.
“I hate to make you guys come out for nothing, but I’m afraid the man has disappeared”, the caller said.
One man’s routine swim at Blue Spring State Park in Orange City turned deadly on Monday, officials said. They also found the victim’s snorkeling equipment. However, they didn’t confirm if the alligator killed Okkerse.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office initially responded about 9:10 a.m. after a female called with concerns that a friend she swims with had seemed to vanish.
Carol Annen said she saw him floating facedown in the spring’s pristine water and tried to swim to him but when she got there, he was suddenly gone.
Okkerse, who moved to Florida from Michigan, has been swimming at Blue Spring for 20 years and was in great physical shape, family members said by phone.
“My husband said he saw a 9-foot gator”, Anen said. “I saw a lot of disturbance in the water, and my husband yelled at me to get out”.
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“We don’t even know at this point if there’s a gator involved for the cause of death”, said Florida Fish and Wildlife Officer Lenny Salberg. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday, he said.
