Terrible Story from Orlando: 2-year Old Boy Taken by Alligator

Just an awful, incredibly sad story. I cannot imagine going through something like this as a parent.

Orlando Sentinel: Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said the Nebraska boy missing after being snatched by an alligator at a hotel near Disney is likely dead.

The 2-year-old child was attacked and dragged into the water by an alligator on the shores of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa about 10:00 p.m. Tuesday night.

Deputies are in the water and air, trying to recover his body.

“There is no question the family has lost a 2-year-old boy,” he said, 15-hours after the gator struck.

Teams searching for the toddler found four gators, but no sign of the child.

Deputies are using sonar today to search the Seven Seas Lagoon man made lake, with help from a helicopter and 10-person dive team, a spokesman said.

Additional Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers are also in boats searching.

A trapper is on scene to catch any suspected gators, he said. They’re still examining the four caught overnight.

Splashing in the water caught the attention of guests, who realized the boy was grabbed. The family of four from Nebraska checked into Disney on Sunday night. There is also a 4-year-old girl with the parents.

One employee at the resort who did not want to be identified said in an email “There is such a problem on property with guests feeding the alligators thinking it’s cool.” There are two at the Buena Vista Palace that people regularly feed from balconies, he said.

Demings said the family was relaxing on the shoreline when the alligator attacked the boy. The father entered the water and tried to pry the child from the gator, but was unsuccessful. He had scratches on his hands after the ordeal.

The Grand Floridian is a luxury resort owned by Disney.