Alligator Drags Away Toddler at Disney Resort in Orlando

Sheriff press conference

On Tuesday night, law enforcement responded to a report of a 2 year-old that was dragged into a lagoon by an alligator at a Disney Resort in Orlando, Florida. Orlando just can’t get a break this week.

Christal Hayes with Orlando Sentinel reports:

A 2-year-old boy who was attacked and dragged into the water by an alligator on the shores of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Tuesday night was still missing early Wednesday morning.

Jeff Williamson with Florida Fish & Wildlife said the child had not been located. Deputies are in the water and air, calling it a search and rescue operation.

“Right now we’re going to bring in some fresh eyes and continue with the search,” Williamson said. “Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.”

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said Tuesday that rescue personnel had been actively looking for the child in the Seven Seas Lagoon for hours in a search and recovery effort but had not found him. They hoped to find him before daylight, he said. A dive team with sonar equipment was on standby — just part of a 50-person rescue team on the scene.

“As a father, as a grandfather, we’re going to hope for the best in these circumstances, but based on my 35 years of law enforcement experience, we know we have some challenges ahead of us,” Demings said.

Demings said the Nebraska family of five was relaxing on the shoreline when the alligator attacked the boy. The father entered the water and tried to pry the child from the gator, but was unsuccessful. He had scratches on his hands after the ordeal.

Parents then alerted a nearby lifeguard that an alligator had attacked the boy. Officials estimated it was between four and seven feet long.

The initial report came into officials at 9:16 p.m. Tuesday, Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Rose Silva said.

Deputies closed off the area with crime-scene tape. Multiple emergency vehicles filled the front drive of the Victorian-style hotel and a helicopter hovered overhead. About 50 members of the Reedy Creek Fire Rescue, Orange County and the Florida Fish and Wildlife officials joined forces to search for the child and the alligator.

There are no signs warning of gators in the area, but there are notices posted against swimming in the man-made lake.

The Grand Floridian is an upscale luxury resort owned by Disney. It is one of three hotels on the monorail line, just one stop away from the Magic Kingdom Park.

This horrible tragedy is a parent’s worst nightmare. Our thoughts are with the family and the responders working to recover the child.

UPDATE 06/15/2016: Sheriff announces the unfortunate news that we all knew. The attack was not survivable.