ORLANDO, Fla. (WFLA) — Authorities believe an alligator drowned a 2-year-old boy after taking the child as he stood in the water at a Disney resort beach on Tuesday evening.
Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said on Wednesday afternoon that divers had recovered the body of Lane Graves, age 2, of Elkhorn, Nebraska.
“There’s likely no question in my mind that the child was drowned by the alligator,” said Demings during a news conference.
The sheriff said that the boy’s body was found intact in a murky, 6-foot-deep body of water about ten yards out from the beach where he was standing.
A Florida Wildlife and Conservation Commission spokesperson said that bite marks would be compared to the five alligators that were removed from the lake during the search for the boy.
“There’s a good chance we have the alligator,” said Nick Wiley with the FWC.
The boy was vacationing in Orlando with his parents, Matt and Melissa Graves, and his 4-year-old sister. The family was in a sandy beach area at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort when the incident happened around 9 p.m.
“The father entered the water, and he tried to grab the child and was not successful in doing so. At some point, I’m told the mother may have entered the water. So the parents diligently tried to get the child,” Sheriff Demings said previously. “They alerted a nearby lifeguard there in the area as well, but they were unsuccessful in their efforts.”
“There’s signage that says no swimming,” Demings said on Wednesday afternoon. “Disney will look at all of their protocols and signage, I’m sure, going forward.”
The sheriff said he and a Catholic priest broke the horrible news to Lane’s parents.
“It was a tough message to deliver to them to let them know their child is dead.”
The sheriff said he hoped the discovery helped bring some closure to the boy’s family. The sheriff also relayed a message to the public from the boy’s parents.
“They do appreciate all of the prayers.”
Nick Wiley with FWC said on Wednesday that Disney has been in Orlando for 45 years and something like this has never happened. Wiley said that Disney has a wildlife management system in place to make sure guests are not unduly exposed to wildlife.
He said Disney is very proactive when it comes to alligators.
“Any time they see an alligator, they can be taken out,” he said. “Disney does everything by the book. They have an amazing program…This is a tragedy. It is terrible, but it is a rare occurrence.”
Toddler dragged into water by gator in Florida
In the shadow of the Magic Kingdom Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Officers search for the body of a young boy Wednesday, June 15, 2016 after the boy was snatched off the shore and dragged underwater by an alligator Tuesday night at Grand Floridian Resort at Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
A police helicopter searches the Seven Seas Lagoon outside the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, right, Wednesday, June 15, 2016, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., after a two-year-old toddler was dragged into the lake by an alligator. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Orange County Sheriff's officers search the Seven Seas Lagoon outside the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, in the background, Wednesday, June 15, 2016, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., after a two-year-old toddler was dragged into the lake by an alligator. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Hotel guests are directed away from the closed pool and beach area as law enforcement officials search the Seven Seas Lagoon outside the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa on Wednesday, June 15, 2016, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., after a two-year-old toddler was dragged into the lake by an alligator. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Nick Wiley, executive director of the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, left, and Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings answer questions from reporters during a news conference Wednesday, June 15, 2016, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., after a toddler was dragged into the lake Tuesday evening by an alligator outside Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Law enforcement officials search the Seven Seas Lagoon outside the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa on Wednesday, June 15, 2016, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., after a two-year-old toddler was dragged into the lake by an alligator. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
A law enforcement officer searches the Seven Seas Lagoon outside the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa on Wednesday, June 15, 2016, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., after a two-year-old toddler was dragged into the lake by an alligator. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Law enforcement officers search the Seven Seas Lagoon outside the swimming pool and beach of the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Wednesday, June 15, 2016, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., after a two-year-old toddler was dragged into the lake by an alligator. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Orange County Sheriff's officers search the Seven Seas Lagoon between Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom theme park and the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Wednesday, June 15, 2016, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., after a two-year-old toddler was dragged into the lake by an alligator. In the background is Disney's Contemporary Resort, right, and Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort, left. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Orange County Sheriff's officers search the Seven Seas Lagoon between Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom theme park, left, and the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa on Wednesday, June 15, 2016, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., after a two-year-old toddler was dragged into the lake by an alligator. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Florida Fish and Wildlife and an Orange County Sheriffs helicopter search for a toddler early Wednesday, June 15, 2016, after the boy was dragged into the water Tuesday night by an alligator near Disney's upscale Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
Florida Fish and Wildlife search for a 2-year-old boy early Wednesday, June 15, 2016, after the boy was dragged into the water Tuesday night by an alligator near Disney's upscale Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
Florida Fish and Wildlife search for a 2-year-old boy early Wednesday, June 15, 2016, after the boy was dragged into the water Tuesday night by an alligator near Disney's upscale Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings speaks at a news conference about a 2-year-old boy who was dragged into the water by an alligator on the shores of Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Tuesday night, June 14, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. The family of five from Nebraska was on vacation and wading in a lake Tuesday evening when the attack happened, Demings told a news conference. The father tried to rescue his son but was unsuccessful, Demings said. (Christal Hayes/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
