The 31-year-old Florida woman fatally mauled by a massive alligator was kneeling in just three feet of water when the reptile attacked – leaving her boyfriend desperately trying to wrench her from its jaws as it ripped apart her arms, officials said.
The Orlando woman was swimming with her boyfriend and best friend in the Econlockhatchee River at Little Big Econ State Forest – nearly 30 miles inland – Sunday afternoon when the monstrous gator suddenly lunged from the water and locked its toothy maw on her, ripping one arm “completely off.”
The attack also left her other arm dislocated as her boyfriend frantically jumped in to save her, according to a harrowing 911 call obtained by WESH.
“They were hiking and they just stopped to swim,” Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesperson Chad Weber told reporters at a press conference on Monday.
“She was bitten on both of her arms. The boyfriend was the one that made the phone call. He was trying to get her from the alligator’s mouth, and on the way to the hospital she did pass away from her injuries.”
Weber said the investigation has found no signs that anyone acted maliciously toward the alligator in a way that would have provoked the beast. He said other possible factors may have triggered the attack, including low water levels due to a statewide drought and territorial behavior.
Shocking audio from the frantic 911 call revealed details of the horror attack, with the caller describing the woman’s injuries as “horrible” and saying “both her arms are dislocated… off basically… one arm is completely off.”
“Bad, real bad please, hurry … she’s losing a lot of … please hurry,” the caller said.
“We’re far off the trail, we’re off the of a little launch area by the river … We need help now!”
Officials said the victim’s boyfriend managed to hold onto her after the alligator finally released its grip.
The woman’s identity was not immediately released.
Weber said two alligators – one 12-footer near the grisly scene and another 13-foot beast directly at the site of the incident – were captured in the aftermath, with DNA samples sent to a lab to determine if either was responsible for the fatal attack.
Witnesses described the alligator as “very large” – a description consistent with the 13-foot gator.
“We feel like it’s a good candidate for the gator in question,” FWC Lt. Grant Eller told reporters.
“Our lab is going to push it to the front of the line, so we’re hoping to get it back pretty quick.”
The deadly mauling followed a weeklong spate of alligator attacks in Florida – all of them miles from the Sunshine State waterfront – which left a boy and a teenager seriously injured.
Fish and wildlife officials said alligator mating season has been underway since early April, making the animals more aggressive and active.
“We are coming into the end of mating season,” Weber said.
“Alligators become very territorial.”