Late Monday afternoon, two Florida fishermen discovered human remains in a canal on the edge of the Everglades. According to police, at least one alligator was feeding on the body when it was found.

The canal was located west of U.S. 27 in the town of Southwest Ranches. Due to the condition of the body, the cause of death was not known.

The fishermen called 911 so that Davie Police could secure the scene. When officers arrived they attempted to scare off the alligators. The animals retreated, but were still lingering nearby while a dive team was called in. Divers were able to recover the remains as armed officers and a gator trapper stood watch.

Sgt. Pablo Castaneda said that it appeared that at least one gator, potentially more, had fed on the body. The body had been in the water for at least a few days and while largely intact, did not offer many clues about the person’s identity.

Castaneda said that the department’s next step would be finding out who the victim was and how they’d ended up in the canal:

“Could it be homicide? Could it be suicide? Could it have involved a fisherman? We don’t know.”

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokeswoman, Carol Lyn Parrish later confirmed that the body was that of a man, but little else was known.

The Broward County Medical Examiner will be attempting to determine the cause of death. Another Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman, Amy Moore said that it was too soon to tell whether the alligators had actually killed the victim, or if they had just been scavenging the remains.

“If we determine that an alligator was the cause, then we’ll go back and recover it,” Moore said.

Featured image screengrab via YouTube