Every parent in the world knows how quickly an accident can happen. Everyone who has ever tried to keep eyes on a child understands how swiftly a child can move, how unpredictable the world can be, and how suddenly life can be lost.
CNN reported that the young child grabbed by an alligator at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Florida has been found by police. Initial reports speculate the 2-year-old boy was drowned.
The local police reported the body of the little boy was found intact about 10 to 15 yards from the site of the attack at Disney’s Seven Seas Lagoon.
The Orlando Sentinel says that there have been so many alligators up close to the beaches at the Disney Resort that at least one employee recommended that the signs at the Seven Seas Lagoon should say “Alligators” in addition to “No Swimming.”
The Seven Seas Lagoon is a man-made lake created at the same time the Resort opened.
Originally planned as a place to swim, after a wave pool was found to cause erosion, and bacteria found in the water, the Disney Resort banned swimming. The Lagoon is still known as a safe and enjoyable spot for fishing and boating.
The child who was reported missing was 2-year-old Lane Graves of Elkhorn, Nebraska. Lane’s parents reported that he had been wading in very shallow water at the edge of the lagoon.
At a press event, however, Orange County Sheriff’s Office spokesman, Jeff Williamson, said said he, “wasn’t swimming,” to his understanding. The boy was not actually in the water.
The father was said to have suffered abrasions to his hands as he tried to pull his son from the jaws of the alligator.
Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said that there have been no reports of similar incidents in the area. Demings went on to say that there was no doubt that the child had died from drowning. He speculated that the drowning had been caused by the alligator that was said to have grabbed him from the shallow water.
Disney World officials have said that there has never been an attack like this one at the Lagoon at any time in its long history.
There are reports that at least five alligators have been killed in the search for the boy’s remains. None of the alligators killed showed any evidence of having harmed the child.
Featured image via YouTube Screengrab.
