The body of the 2-year-old Nebraska boy who was attacked and dragged
into a lake by an alligator at a Walt Disney World resort has been
recovered, authorities said this afternoon.
The body of the toddler, identified by authorities as Lane Graves, was
"completely intact" when it was found about 10 to 15 yards from shore,
according to Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings.
Members of the Orange County Sheriff's Office dive team located the body
around 1:45 p.m. and recovered it less than two hours later. The body
has been turned over to the Orange County Medical Examiner's Office for
an autopsy, Demings told reporters.
Authorities will formally identify the body, but there is "no reason" to
believe that the body recovered was not Lane's, Demings noted.
Five alligators have been taken from the lake and euthanized, said Nick
Wiley, the executive director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission. He said there is a "good chance" one of these
alligators attacked the boy. Investigators will analyze teeth marks to
make a determination.
Disney has a "very proactive program" of routinely removing alligators
that pose a threat, Wiley said. The company is in constant contact with
the FWC to remove alligators, he added.
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| A 2-year-old child was dragged into the water by an alligator near Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Orlando, Fla., pictured June 15, 2016. |
Demings informed the boy's parents, Matt and Melissa Graves of Elkhorn,
Nebraska, that their son's body was found, calling it a "tough message
to deliver." A Catholic priest accompanied him to deliver the message,
he said.
The family was "distraught but somewhat relieved" that authorities were
able to locate their son with his body intact, Demings said.
"The Graves family appreciate the support they have received and have
asked for privacy as they grieve the loss of their son," the Orange
County Sheriff's Office tweeted Wednesday evening,
George A. Kalogridis, the president of Walt Disney World Resort, said in
a statement, "There are no words to convey the profound sorrow we feel
for the family and their unimaginable loss. We are devastated and
heartbroken by this tragic accident and are doing what we can to help
the family during this difficult time. On behalf of everyone at Disney,
we offer our deepest sympathies."
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| Florida Fish and Wildlife search for a 2-year-old boy early June 15, 2016, after the boy was dragged into the water Tuesday night by an alligator near Disney's upscale Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. |
And Robert A. Iger, chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, said in
a statement, "As a parent and a grandparent, my heart goes out to the
Graves family during this time of devastating loss. My thoughts and
prayers are with them, and I know everyone at Disney joins me in
offering our deepest sympathies.
Iger spoke to the family from Shanghai and Kalogridis immediately flew
back to Orlando from Shanghai upon learning about the incident, a
spokesman for Disney said.
Rescue teams were initially hopeful that they would find the boy alive.
The search for the boy's body in the Seven Seas Lagoon, an artificial
lake on Disney property, lasted more than 16 hours.
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| Deputies in Orlando are searching for a child who was apparently dragged into a lake by an alligator at the Walt Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on June 14, 2016. |
Earlier today the resort temporarily shuttered its beach areas and recreational marinas in the wake of the gator attack.
Demings said about 50 people from the sheriff's office alone assisted in the recovery effort.
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