Search Continues for Child's Body After Disney Alligator Attack--Update
June 15 2016 - 1:55PM
Dow Jones News
By Beckie Strum
Search teams are looking for the body of a 2-year-old boy who
was dragged into the water by an alligator Tuesday night at Walt
Disney World, as authorities said there was no way the child could
still be alive.
"We know that we are working on recovering the body of a child
at this point. Our ultimate goal is to bring some closure to that
family by recovering a loved one," said Orange County Sheriff Jerry
Demings Wednesday afternoon.
He said there was no question that the family -- which was
relaxing alongside the Seven Seas Lagoon at Disney's Grand
Floridian Resort & Spa when the alligator attacked -- would
lose their child, noting that it had been 15 hours since he was
taken by the alligator. The toddler had been wading into the
man-made lagoon, which is marked with no-swimming signs.
This is the first incident of its kind for the kid-friendly
resort, Sheriff Demings said. "Disney has operated for 45 years and
they've never had this type of thing happen before," he said.
Meanwhile, Disney World shut down all of the beaches at its
resorts as a precautionary measure, a spokesperson said.
"Everyone here at the Walt Disney World Resort is devastated by
this tragic accident," said Jacquee Wahler, vice president of Walt
Disney World Resort. "Our thoughts are with the family. We are
helping the family and doing everything we can to assist law
enforcement,"
Disney's 40-square mile park has an extensive wildlife control
system in place meant to prevent guest run-ins with wild animals.
The resort works with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission to report and euthanize alligators that are spotted on
the properties, said Nick Wiley, executive director of the
commission.
"They've routinely taken out alligators in the lakes and the
properties at large," Mr. Wiley said. Authorities have removed five
alligators from the lake so far, but haven't found any sign of the
child's remains.
The search for the boy, which includes a team of divers and
sonar equipment to scan the lake, is complicated due to the
man-made lagoon's filtration system, authorities said. But the
search for the boy's body will continue until it is recovered,
Sheriff Demings said. "We're not leaving until we recover the
child," he said.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 15, 2016 13:40 ET (17:40 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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