Florida woman dies after alligator mauls her in state park

A 31-year-old woman from Orlando died on Sunday after an alligator attacked her while she and two companions were wading in the Econlockhatchee River at Little Big Eco State Forest near Orlando. Lieutenant Grant Eller of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the group was in about three feet of water when the reptile lunged at around 1:30 p.m., biting off one arm and severely injuring the other.

The woman's boyfriend called 911 while trying to pull her arms away from the animal. A recording of the call captured the victim’s screams and a distressed voice repeatedly stating that both arms were severed. Rescue workers arrived but were unable to save her before she succumbed to her injuries.

Seminole County sheriff deputies and a professional alligator trapper later captured two large alligators near the scene, measuring 13 and 12 feet. Their DNA will be tested to determine which was responsible for the attack. Eller noted that the incident occurred during the end of the alligators' mating season, a period when they are especially territorial, and that low water levels from a statewide drought may have contributed.

The Barr Street Trailhead, the site of the attack, remained closed on Monday. Local hiker Nancy Palmer warned that a known female alligator nests nearby and advised visitors to stay alert and avoid entering the water. While serious alligator injuries are rare in Florida, this was the third reported attack in a week and the second in Central Florida within 24 hours, with another incident involving a boy bitten while fishing in Marion County.