41-year-old woman found dead after Florida alligator is spotted with a body in its mouth

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Florida authorities have identified the woman found dead after an alligator was seen with a body in its mouth. Authorities responded to a call in Largo, in the Tampa Bay area, about a gator in the water about 1:50 p.m. on Friday. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday identified the victim as Sabrina Peckham, 41.

A witness, JaMarcus Bullard, told CNN affiliate Spectrum News 13 he earlier saw an alligator with a body its mouth. “I could tell there was a body in his mouth, so I started recording,” Bullard said. Officials humanely killed In the the 13-foot, 8.5-inch male, according to the sheriff’s office and Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Alligators have been spotted in the area before, but resident Jennifer Dean told Spectrum News 13 that she had never seen one this large. “A lot of my neighbors were out here and they’re the ones that told me about the gator,” Dean said. “While we were standing here we heard a shot. I assume they killed the gator.”

https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/24/us/florida-alligator-killed-woman-in-mouth/index.html

On the positive side, at least they know what happened to her.

[tavernier]

1. We used to vacation at an RV park in Largo.

It was old Florida style with lots of brush and ferns and water inlets. There were gators spotted quite often at the back door of some of the RVs. Tourists would actually throw food to them. It has since been closed in order for the building of town houses, but I bet the water and the gators are still there.

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2. A passerby just happened to see the alligator with torso

so apparently people walk by regularly.

[GreenWave]

3. Murder, accident or Florida woman?

Flummoxed am I!

[Angleae]

6. I'm going with "all of the above"

[RandySF]

4. I bet she was dead before that poor gator found her.

[Sadie5]

5. A murder victim

Was thinking the same thing. A murder victim that the perp will likely get away with.

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7. Unless it was murder by alligator

they should be able to tell if she was dead before she went in the water. Alligator had her torso in his mouth.

[Chainfire]

9. They will know what killed the woman after the post mortem.

If is wasn't the gator, they will find out.

[Chainfire]

8. That would be one big gator.

I am sorry for the victim. I would sure like to know what she was doing when she got caught. She may have just been taking a stroll by some body of water and found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. What kind of bad luck is it that gets you killed in the prime of your life by a prehistoric monster?

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10. Its kind of hard to think of a healthy adult just slipping in by accident.

I wonder if he came up and grabbed her.

[Chainfire]

11. Gators are very quick on their feet for short bursts. (20-30 MPH)

They are also good at hiding in the grass or shallow water ready to bound on a potential meal. If you don't know what to look for, you may never see them. Anywhere in Florida that there is any body of water you can expect gators.

[prodigitalson]

12. Death by alligator is pretty rare. 26 (now 27?) Since 1948

I bet more murder victims have been fed to alligators than that.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/alligator-attacks-deaths-florida-louisiana-b2286682.html

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18. I'll bet they get a lot of dogs.

[tavernier]

20. My daughter's boss lost her 5 yr old son to gator

In Port St. Lucie on the shore of the river. They were all picnicking and didn’t notice that he had walked down by the water. It was back in the 80s, so horribly tragic. Gator drowned the boy before taking him down but the rangers intercepted before the body was destroyed.

[prodigitalson]

25. yikes, that's horrific

[Delphinus]

13. What is

the reasoning for killing the alligator?

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14. To recover her remains.

And presumably, to try to determine the circumstances of her death.

[JI7]

15. There are too many of them

[EX500rider]

22. Because it has proved itself to be a danger to humans?

And Largo is all urban.

[Mariana]

23. How would you suggest they get the human body from the alligator?

[FelineOverlord]

16. The victim

Was arrested for trespassing on wetlands in the last few months.

FAFO 🥺
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/09/24/florida-woman-arrest-alligator-trespassing-wetlands/

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17. Living dangerously.

[Recycle_Guru]

26. she was homeless

[EndlessWire]

19. Not a joke.

I saw on YouTube an expert explaining how to know if a gator was in the water you wanted to swim in. He said his mentor had taught him years ago.

He said, "See the water here? Dip your hand in it. If it's wet, and you're in Florida, it's got a gator in it."

There were two horrible deaths I heard about. One was the handsome little boy at Disney, of course, and the other was the old lady walking her dog near the shore of a lake, when a gator rushed up on them. She got between it and her dog, but unbelievably, the gator took her down instead. Dragged her into the water. She saved her dog, but paid for it. I imagine most dog owners would do the same, and maybe the gator would have quit. You save those you love if you can.

Together with the diseases that are cropping up, the snakes, the gators, and DeSantis, I am scared of Florida.

[Tommy Carcetti]

21. A bit of an exaggeration.

Yes, any fresh body of water could potentially have an alligator in it; however, you’re far more likely to find them in lakes and bodies of water that easily connect to one another.

I have a lake behind my house. I’ve lived here for six years, and I’ve seen a grand total of 3 gators in it. Last one was in 2020, I believe.

Now, head out 15 minutes from my house to the nature preserve that connects to the Everglades and you’ll probably see multiple alligators in less than an hour.

Meanwhile, you give them their space, you keep pets and small children away from the edge of the water, and you’ll be just fine. It’s just common sense.

I’m not joking when I say DeSantis scares me much more than any alligator ever could.

[Shanti Shanti Shanti]

24. Fresh water, stay away, or 65 million years of evolution will catch up U to at waters edge