A Florida sheriff says charges are unlikely against the parents whose 2-year-old son was killed by an alligator at Walt Disney World. NBC 6’s Laura Rodriguez reports.
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A statement by Matt and Melissa Graves of Omaha, Nebraska, said words can not express the shock and grief their family is enduring.
All the beaches at the resorts at Walt Disney World remain closed.
Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said the body of Lane Graves was found Wednesday afternoon.
“All I could think about is what those parents have to feel when they watch their baby being taken under by an alligator”, Saunders said.
The new signs – which feature the word “danger” – read, “Alligators and snakes in area, stay away from the water, do not feed the wildlife”.
But unlike in most public parks, warnings about alligators were not posted at the lagoon, which is in the shadow of one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, according to The Associated Press.
Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Wahler said on Thursday that resort beaches would be off-limits to guests until further notice. We are devastated and heartbroken by this tragic accident and are doing what we can to help the family during this hard time. “To all of the local authorities and staff who worked tirelessly these past 24 hours, we express our deepest gratitude”, they said, according to ABC News.
On Wednesday, it was revealed that a 3-year-old boy was standing at the exact spot at the Disney resort beach where Lane Graves was snatched just 30 minutes later.
Nick Wiley, executive director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said gator attacks on people are rare, but noted that Florida waterways are home to many of them.
“The cause of death was ruled as a result of drowning and traumatic injuries”, the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a brief statement.
As workers put up the barrier at the Grand Floridian on Friday, a Disney employee told The Post, “it could happen anytime”, referring to the gator attacks.
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Disney said Thursday it would close its beach areas add gator warnings, but had not mentioned anything specifically about a fence.
