The daughter of the Florida woman whose body was found in the mouth of a 14ft alligator has said she has been left in ‘unbearable pain’ after her mom’s death.
Emergency crews were rushed to a park in Largo, around half an hour from Tampa, on Friday, after an alligator was seen carrying a corpse in its mouth.
At around 2pm, Florida Fish and Wildlife officers had to wrestle the animal out of the water so that first responders could recover the remains, with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office confirming the reptile was later humanely killed.
The grim discovery was made by a local man named JaMarcus Bullard, who was set to attend a job interview that day.
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He had been out looking for fish in a neighbourhood lake while waiting to speak to his potential future employers when he suddenly spotted the beast.
"I noticed it had a body in its mouth, like a lower torso," he told Tampa Fox affiliate WTVT.
"So once I realized that, I ran straight to the fire department and got them. They confirmed there was a body."
The victim was later named as Sabrina Peckham, 41, with her daughter Breauna Dorris issuing a statement on Facebook.
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“The past 24 hours have been filled with grief and sorrow and unbearable pain for our family. I’m posting this to put rumors to rest and ask for everyone’s help,” she wrote.
“My mother, Sabrina Peckham was the victim of the alligator attack at McCay Creek (Rainbow Village).
“Please understand that we do not have all information yet as the medical examiners report is not yet finished.
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“Some details I would like to share is that my mother did not ‘taunt’ the alligator as some are saying in the news outlets comments.”
Dorris went on: “My mother was a part of the homeless population that lived in the nearby wooded area.
“It is believed that she may have been walking to or from her camp site near the creek in the dark and the alligator attacked from the water.
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“Please do not speak on what you don’t know. No matter how you put it, no one deserves to die like this.”
Dorris has now set up a GoFundMe to raise money to lay her mother to rest in the ‘family plot’.
“My mother only being 41, we had not expected to do this anytime soon,” she said.
“We expected to have many many more years with her. Unfortunately god has called her home sooner than our hearts were ready.”
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Dorris added: “To my mother: I love you more than I ever expressed, I miss you more than you’ll ever know and I pray that you are looking down over me and your grandchildren. Please protect us.
“I’m so sorry this happened to you. I pray you are at peace and you are no longer struggling or hurting.”
Jess Hardiman