Alligator drags toddler into water near Disney resort
Updated June 15, 2016 1:51 p.m. PT
Officials have recovered the body of a two-year-old boy who had been dragged into the water near Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa by an alligator on Tuesday night.
The boy was attacked Tuesday as he waded in shallow water at the edge of the Seven Seas Lagoon at Disney's Grand Floridian resort. His father had unsuccessfully tried to wrestle the animal to save him.
You May Also Like
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings identified the boy as Lane Graves of Elkhorn, Nebraska.
The search team grew to 50 people Wednesday as trappers and divers searched Disney's network of man-made canals, ponds and lakes. At least five other alligators were caught and cut open before they found the killer.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Earlier Wednesday morning, during a news conference, sheriff's department spokesman Jeff Williamson said the effort was still considered a "search and rescue operation" and they were "hopeful." But by the afternoon, hope had dissipated. An autopsy is to be performed on the boy's body by a medical examiner.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
A helicopter circled the Seven Seas Lagoon late into the night, even as the Walt Disney World fireworks went off in the distance, according to witnesses who shared images on social media. Police also cordoned off the search area.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
The boy was dragged into the water around 9:30 p.m. ET Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. The attack happened in an area of the lagoon that had "No Swimming" signs posted, according to Demings. The alligator was estimated to be 4 to 7 feet long but its exact size isn't known.
Mashable has reached out to Walt Disney World for more information.
UPDATES
June 15, 2016, 12:19 p.m. BST: Added statement from sheriff's department.
June 15, 2016, 4:51 p.m. ET: Added information about recovery of the body, planned autopsy.
Additional reporting by the Associated Press.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Brittany Levine Beckman was Mashable's managing editor. She enjoys crafting feature ideas, learning new things, and party parrots. Before working at Mashable, she covered community news at the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register. That's how she met a zonkey and the tallest man in the world.
