Officials classified the effort to find a 2-year-old dragged by an alligator into a Disney resort lake as a “search and rescue” Wednesday but admitted a grim outcome has become more likely.
Jeff Williamson with Orange County Sheriff’s Office said around 9am ET that investigators had not turned up the gator or the boy. At around 9pm Tuesday. The child was snatched away from his family as they waded in a lake at the Grand Floridian Beach and Spa, a Disney World resort.
Disney World announced Wednesday it had closed all of the beaches at its properties.
Williamson said multiple boats had searched the lake area since they received the call. Deputies stayed on the scene overnight, and more arrived to assist in the morning, he said.
“We are very hopeful; we are hoping for the best,” Williamson said. “Sometimes we get the worst, but we are hoping for the best.”
The boy was with his family, standing in about a foot of water on the edge of the lake, when he was attacked. The child’s father tried to grab him back from the gator but was unsuccessful.
“The father has some sort of minor lacerations to his arm, so he was able to get over there fairly quickly,” Williamson said.
He described the family as “very shaken up.”
Nick Wiley with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission said this type of incident is rare, and the outcome of similar situations has varied.
“We could have success soon, or it could take hours,” Wiley said.
Wiley said they had removed four alligators but hadn’t found the one who attacked the boy. He added that “after a long period of time, the hope does dim,” but they were still maintaining hope of a rescue.
A sign posted by the lake said “no swimming,” and a lifeguard on duty was reportedly too far away to provide immediate aid, officials said. The reptile was between 4 and 7 feet, according to witnesses.
Florida Fish and Wildlife reported one other alligator bite happening in 2016 in a report last updated in April. It reported nine major bites happened in Florida in 2015, and nine major and one minor in 2014.
– Newschannel 6
