Search Continues for Child's Body After Disney Alligator Attack--Update

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)

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