Lakeland alligator
Lakeland – Lakeland resident called 911 Tuesday afternoon when he saw a large alligator trying to pull a human body underwater at Lake Hunter.
The Lakeland Police Department on Wednesday released a recording of the call.
I’d hurry up, I’ve got a dead body over here in the lake,” the caller, who was not identified, said. “It looks like an alligator is trying to pull him down under.”
Police did not immediately know whether the Lakeland alligator killed the individual or if he was already dead.
Dead body found inside alligator's mouth in Lakeland, FL pic.twitter.com/KHM6VlneDz
— Joel Franco (@OfficialJoelF) June 8, 2016
When the caller reported his discovery to the 911 operator, he said the man was clearly no longer alive.
“You’re sure he’s dead?” the operator asked.
“Oh, it’s dead, for sure,” the caller said.
Once emergency personnel arrived at the lake, in the area of Lake Hunter Drive and Cresap Avenue, they spotted the Lakeland alligator , which let go of the body and swam off, officers said.
The alligator was apparently not happy about giving up the body and circled the area for about an hour, police said.
As detectives searched the area looking for evidence that could explain how the man ended up dead in the lake, a trapper arrived and trapped the alligator, LPD said.
Investigators said that when the man’s body was pulled from the water, the state of its decomposition led them to believe that it had been there for more than a day.
A Medical Examiner said the remains found inside a 9-foot alligator were those of a human being. The manner and cause of death is still undetermined.
It was not the first time that LPD was called to the lake in recent days.
A resident reported seeing a shirt in the water on Saturday with a pair of pants and a backpack nearby in the area of the Lake Hunter boat ramp off Sikes Boulevard, LPD said.
A week earlier, an aggressive alligator was seen at the ramp, the resident said.
Police found nothing in that case.
LPD was called again on Sunday when a resident reported seeing an alligator circling a suspicious object in the lake.
Again, officers responded and were not able to locate anything out of the ordinary, LPD said.
must have been killed by Big Foot and thrown in the river —or,maybe Jaws is back and wasn’t that hungry off camera !! or,was pulled in during the filming of Swamp People and the filmmakers were afraid to report it —or,maybe it was a swim with the alligators daredevil practice event to be shown on Americas Got Talent featuring Howard Stern and his regret for his quitting the show—all kidding aside,this is a serious issue and I think the gorilla kiler should be there taking aim at any crocodile that looks like it ready to swallow someone !! No poison darts please,save them for the rhino hunts !!
OF COURSE NO ONE HAS BEEN REPORTED MISSING!!!! THERE ARE SO MANY HOMELESS IN THAT AREA THAT THEY GO OUT TO THE WATER TO BATHE AND CAMP. WHEN THEY ARE HIGH THEY THINK THEY CAN CATCH ANYTHING TO SURVIVE. BUT THEN AGAIN MAYBE HE TICKED SOMEONE OFF. IF THE GATOR WAS ROLLING HIM THEN HE WAS ALREADY DEAD AND THE WILDLIFE GOT THE CATCH.
Hey, alligators have to eat to. Two Stories: In Palm City FL a guy was told and warned several times not to walk and let his dog loose on the golf course. He thought rules were not for him. His dog got to close to the water and became lunch. It was a resident gator that all the golfers knew. It was the owners fault yet Fish and Game killed the gator.
In Barefoot Bay FL last year a young burglar hid from the police in the edge
of a pond. He ignored or did not see in the dark the Beware of Alligator signs. His girlfriend, who knew he was burglarizing homes, reported him missing in the morning. Police found parts of him the next day. Karma.