Boy’s body found after alligator attack at Florida Disney resort
Police using boats, divers and a helicopter tonight recovered the dead body of a 2-year-old boy after an alligator dragged him into a lagoon in front of his family during a vacation at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Officials said the body was intact and appeared to have been drowned by the alligator. It was recovered by divers. Efforts are continuing to ensure that the alligator which caught the boy is found.
The child was snatched as he played at the water’s edge yesterday night, despite his parents’ effort to save him, by an alligator believed to be between 1.2 and 2 meters long.
Wildlife officials had earlier caught and killed five alligators from the lagoon to examine them for traces of the boy but found no evidence they were involved, said Nick Wiley, head of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The resort closed its beaches and recreational marinas on Wednesday as search teams had scoured the Seven Seas Lagoon, a man-made lake reaching 14 feet in depth.
The family was vacationing from Nebraska.
The dozens of sheriff’s deputies and wildlife officials searching for the boy numbering as many as 60, had used sonar technology, helicopters and a team of divers.