14-foot alligator caught carrying lifeless human body down canal in Florida
A huge alligator was found carrying the lifeless body of a human down a river in Florida, prompting speculation that the person was killed by a gator attack.
Here's some local news footage showing what happened:
Emergency crews were rushed to a park in Largo, around half an hour from Tampa, on Friday, arriving hoping to rescue the corpse and investigate how the person was killed.
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The gruesome discovery was made by JaMarcus Bullard, who was out fishing on a lake near to his home when he spotted the animal and noticed something in its mouth.
He told local TV news: "I noticed it had a body in its mouth, like a lower torso,"
"So once I realized that, I ran straight to the fire department and got them.
“They confirmed there was a body."
At about 2:00pm that day, officers from Florida Fish and Wildlife managed to get the gator out of the water so that the body could be recovered.
Unfortunately, the alligator was humanely killed so that the remains could be rescued.
So far, it has not been established whether the person died from an alligator attack, or whether the predator found the body after death.
The circumstances surrounding the discovery are being investigated by officers from Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
An autopsy will take place in an attempt to establish the facts.
Local TV footage showed the body of the large reptile being loaded onto the back of a truck, as well as blood on the sidewalk.
Bullard went on to say that he’d never seen a live gator before, so was feeling lucky to have finally spotted one.
However, that feeling quickly dissipated once he realised what was happening.
"But once I saw what it had I was like, 'Is that a mannequin?'” he said.
"It looked pale and white."
After he raised the alarm, teams of police and firefighters rushed to the location, which – Bullard realised to his horror – is right in front of a school, as well as a Boys and Girls Club.
"All I can think about is all of these little kids that go to the school right behind me," continued Bullard.
"They come this way every single day."
Another local, Jennifer Dean, said that a crowd had gathered before a number of gunshots were heard.
“It could have been anyone,” she said.
It isn’t clear whether the alligator was responsible for the death of the person, but police are continuing their investigation.
Tom Wood