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Body of 2-Year-Old Boy Found After He Was Snatched by Alligator at a Disney World Resort

UPDATE 3: Florida officials have found the body of the 2-year-old child who was snatched by an alligator at a Disney World resort in Florida, a source familiar with the investigation told CNN on Wednesday afternoon. 

UPDATE 2: The 2-year-old Nebraska boy that was snatched by an alligator is now believed dead, authorities say. Orange County sheriff Jerry Demings said on Wednesday afternoon, there’s “no question” the child died from the attack, calling it “not survivable,” ABC News reports. The search efforts have now focused on recovering his body. “We know this is a recovery effort at this point. Disney is doing everything it can to make the family comfortable,” Demings said. 

UPDATE: An overnight search for the 2-year-old boy who was dragged into a lagoon at Walt Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Bay Lake, Florida, on Tuesday, June 14, was unsuccessful. The search began on Tuesday and lasted until the early hours of Wednesday morning. While the child has yet to be found, local law enforcement remains optimistic as it continues its search. 

Alligator takes child at Disney World
A 2-year-old child is missing after being dragged into the water by an alligator near Walt Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa on Tuesday, June 14.

“This is still a search-and-rescue operation,” Orange County sheriff’s office spokesman Jeff Williamson said, according to CNN. “We are very hopeful. We are hoping for the best.”

Original story below.

A 2-year-old child is missing after being dragged into the water by an alligator at Walt Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Bay Lake, Florida, on Tuesday, June 14.

A view of the Grand Floridian hotel June 15, 2016 in Orlando, Florida where a two-year-old boy was attacked.
A view of the Grand Floridian hotel June 15, 2016 in Orlando, Florida where a two-year-old boy was attacked.

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The boy, who has not been identified, was pulled into the Seven Seas Lagoon at about 9:16 p.m., Orange County sheriff Jerry Demings told reporters in a press conference at about 1 a.m. on Wednesday morning.

Demings said that the family of five, who arrived at the resort on Sunday, June 12, from Nebraska, were out on the sand at the lagoon, “just simply relaxing out in the area and wading in the water along the lake’s edge at the time the alligator attacked the child.” 

In the shadow of the Magic Kingdom, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Officers search for a young boy Wednesday, June 15, 2016.
In the shadow of the Magic Kingdom, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Officers search for a young boy Wednesday, June 15, 2016.

More than 50 law enforcement officers have teamed up with staff from Florida Fish & Wildlife to search the lagoon with the help of a helicopter and boats. An alligator trapper is also at the scene.

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The sheriff said “the father entered the water and tried to grab his son from the alligator but was unsuccessful” and suffered minor scratches to his hands. The mother also went into the water and they alerted a nearby lifeguard who also tried to help.

Demings said several eyewitnesses spoke to police and gave a description of what happened, adding that the alligator is “anywhere from 4 feet to 6 or 7 feet” in length. He told reporters that there are signs near the lagoon that warn guests against swimming in the water.

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Deputies put up yellow crime-scene tape around the water outside the resort, which is located adjacent to the Magic Kingdom near Orlando. 

The search is set to continue through the night. “As a father, as a grandfather, we’re going to hope for the best in these circumstances, but based on my 35 years of law enforcement experience, we know we have some challenges at this time,” Demings said.

Florida Fish and Wildlife and an Orange County Sheriff's helicopter search for a young boy early Wednesday, June 15, 2016.
Florida Fish and Wildlife and an Orange County Sheriff’s helicopter search for a young boy early Wednesday, June 15, 2016.

 

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