85-year-old Florida woman dead after alligator attacks while she walked her dog

Corey Arwood, Treasure Coast Newspapers
·2 min read
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ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. − An 85-year-old woman died following an alligator bite, when the gator grabbed her while she was walking her dog near a pond in a Florida golf course community Monday, wildlife officials said.

Firefighters recovered her body from Spanish Lakes Fairways in northwest St. Lucie County Monday afternoon, emergency officials said. St. Lucie County is about 70 miles north of Palm Beach, Florida.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers and St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office deputies were sent to the area for what they called an "alligator bite incident" following 911 calls.

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The woman was killed in the incident involving an alligator based on preliminary information from those who said they witnessed the event, said FWC spokesperson Arielle Callender.

"A contracted nuisance alligator trapper has captured the alligator involved in the incident," she said. "The dog did survive the incident."

Residents told WPTV that the woman was walking her dog when the alligator grabbed it. She tried to get the dog away from the reptile but somehow fell victim to the gator.

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St. Lucie County Fire District spokesperson Brenda Stokes said fire rescue workers were sent to the area at 12:07 p.m. to recover a body.

"We arrived on scene within minutes and recovered her body, kept surveillance on the alligator with our helicopter and personnel around the lake, and assisted the FWC trapper with identifying the alligator and dragging it out of water," Sheriff Ken Mascara told TCPalm, part of the USA TODAY Network.

"Our prayers go out to the loved ones of the victim and the Spanish Lakes residents who knew victim and witnessed the attack."

He said the alligator was hooked and dragged out of the pond around 2:30 p.m.

Deputies were first to arrive, and assisted wildlife authorities who are leading an investigation into the death, said St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Tonya Woodworth.

Woodworth deferred all other comments to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

None of the agencies identified the woman.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida woman dies after alligator attacks while she walked her dog