Deputies: Gator drags toddler into water near Disney resort

The boy’s parents were identified as Matt and Melissa Graves of Elkhorn, Neb., a suburban area of Omaha.

Divers recovered the body of Lane Graves on Wednesday (June 15) afternoon, following an extensive 16-hour search involving a number of emergency personnel. The child and his father were wading in about one foot of water when the alligator attacked.

Sheriff Jerry Demings told reporters at a press conference: “Of course the family was distraught, but also I believe somewhat relieved that his body was found intact”.

Disney is now under fire for not warning visitors about the possibility of alligators in the lagoon that many vacationers visit on a daily basis. The boy’s father desperately tried to fight off the gator, suffering cuts on a hand, but he could not save his son. He says there have been no other recent reports of similar alligator attacks at the lake.

Wildlife and marine authorities, including an alligator trapper, are helping the search, although officials say they have a hard task ahead of them.

“There are no words to convey the profound sorrow we feel for the family and their unimaginable loss”, Kalogridis said in a statement.

The Walt Disney World Resort is the world’s most-visited theme park.

CEO of the Chamber David Brown said: “The loss of a child is a special kind of tragedy, particularly hard to comprehend”.

“This is Florida and it’s not uncommon for alligators to be in bodies of water”, he said.

There are “no swimming” signs at the lagoon, but no warnings that indicate alligators could be present.

A day before the rampage, a man shot singer Christina Grimmie as she was signing autographs following a concert. Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and Space Mountain ride are located minutes away on the north shore, while several Disney resorts are dotted around the rest of the lagoon.

A Disney spokesman said: “Everyone here at Walt Disney World is devastated by this tragic accident”.

“There is a good chance we already have the alligators because we focused our efforts on that proximity”, he said.

In Lane’s case, five alligators were killed in the search for his body, but authorities have yet to determine which of them, if any, was responsible for the boy’s death.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News. Video footage was caught of the alligator floating in the middle of the body of water.

“I took these pics at the exact spot this happened between 8 and 8:30 p.m.; the incident happened at 9 p.m.”, wrote Jennifer Venditti of MA in an open letter on Facebook page pleading for prayer for the family; her post has been shared almost 100,000 times.