Toddler’s Body Recovered After Alligator Attack At Disney Orlando

The body of a 2-year-old boy, Lane Graves, was found intact around 1:45 PM on June 15, not far from where eyewitnesses said he was grabbed by an alligator near a Walt Disney World hotel the night before.

Graves was found dead by the Orange County dive team, with only a few puncture wounds to his body. Sheriff Jerry Demings, who is in charge of the investigation, told CNN that the child likely drowned. He shared, "Of course, the autopsy has to confirm that, but there is likely no question in my mind that the child was drowned by the alligator.

Authorities release photo of the toddler killed by an alligator at Walt Disney World https://t.co/k55nPIdT1I

— TIME.com (@TIME) June 16, 2016

He also said that the body was found in 6 feet of murky water, only about 10 to 15 yards from when he was attacked by the alligator.

The Washington Post noted that despite the fact that the sheriff identified the toddler, a formal identification is still pending. However, he did say that "there is no reason to believe that the body that was recovered is not that of Lane Graves."

Lane's parents were said to have seen the alligator grab their son at the edge of the man-made lake and drag him deeper in the water. The father, identified as Matt Graves rushed in to dangerous 7-foot animal and grabbed desperately for his son, but he was unable to do so.

The family was on their third night on vacation at Disney's luxe Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. They were watching their son wade ankle-deep into the Seven Seas Lagoon, when the alligator grabbed onto the boy, just a foot beyond the sand.

 "There are no words to convey the profound sorrow we feel for the family and their unimaginable loss. We are devastated and heartbroken by this tragic accident and are doing what we can to help them during this difficult time." Walt Disney World Resort president George A. Kalogridi said in a statement. "On behalf of everyone at Disney, we offer them our deepest sympathy."