The two-year-old boy’s father attempted to wrestle with the alligator but lost
FLORIDA (United States of America) – A 2-year-old boy was attacked and dragged into the water by an alligator on the shores of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Tuesday night was still missing early Wednesday morning.
Sheriff Jerry Demings said, ‘As a father, as a grandfather, we’re going to hope for the best in these circumstances, but based on my 35 years of law enforcement experience, we know we have some challenges ahead of us.’
The family, visiting from Nebraska, was relaxing near the water’s edge when witnesses said the boy was dragged into the lagoon by an alligator described as being anywhere from 4 to 7 feet long, according to Demings.
The father actually went into the water to wrestle his son from the grips of the alligator; the father suffered minor scratches on his hand, but was unsuccessful in getting his son back, he added.
The incident occurred on a sandy waterfront area outside the hotel near the Seven Seas Lagoon on the property.
According to Demings, there are 50 law enforcement personnel and two marine units taking part in the search. We’re not leaving until we recover the child,” Demings promised.
The Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife is conducting a parallel investigation and is participating in the search. It has deployed an alligator trapper, officer Chad Weber said.
A helicopter with a search light scoured the lagoon as a handful of Disney employees’ ushered people away from the sidewalks overlooking the beach.
Sheriff: Marine units, divers, sonar, choppers & trapper employed to find 2-yo & 4- to 7-foot alligator at #Disney. pic.twitter.com/CKaLQACqew
— Eliott C. McLaughlin (@EliottCNN) June 15, 2016
Tonight at Walt Disney’s Grand Floridian Hotel crews search Seven Seas Lagoon for possible alligator attack victim pic.twitter.com/lVSOxivh05
— Shawn Powers (@Shawn_Powers) June 15, 2016
It has been a rough week for the Orlando area. A gunman massacred 49 people at an Orlando gay club and a day before a man shot singer Christina Grimmie on Saturday as she was signing an autographs.