A 31-year-old Florida woman has died after an alligator attacked her while she waded in shallow water in the Econlockhatchee River within Little Big Econ State Forest near Orlando. The attack occurred as she was cooling off with her boyfriend and best friend, according to NBC News.
911 Call Reveals Gruesome Details
In a recording of the 911 call obtained by NBC News, screams and crying are heard in the background. The caller, identified as the victim's boyfriend, told the dispatcher, “OK, both her arms, both her arms, both her arms are off, like, basically.” The dispatcher asked, “Does she still have her arms attached to her?” The boyfriend replied, “One of them is, like, very hanging on [by a] thread, and the other was off.” When asked where the other arm was, he responded, “Gone.”
The victim has not been identified, as authorities are working to reach her family, who live outside Florida. The trio entered the river in about three feet of water when the alligator attacked, biting the victim on both arms, reported Sky News. The boyfriend attempted to pull her away from the gator during the attack.
Rescue Efforts and Investigation
Despite the boyfriend's efforts and the arrival of rescue workers, the woman died before she could be transported to a hospital. Seminole County sheriff's deputies and a professional alligator trapper captured two alligators near the scene, according to ABC News. One alligator measured 13 feet long, the other 12 feet. DNA samples have been sent to a state lab to determine which animal was responsible for the fatal attack.
Officials cited drought conditions and territorial behavior during the end of mating season as possible factors in the rare but severe attack. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission noted that serious injuries from alligators are uncommon in the state. However, this incident marked the third reported alligator attack in the past seven days and the second in the past 24 hours in Central Florida.
The victim's boyfriend and best friend carried the mortally wounded woman while trying to flag down arriving rescue workers, with more screaming heard in the 911 call. The case remains under investigation.
