The FWC helps look into the death of a woman who fell into an Englewood pond and was grabbed by alligators.
Sarasota sheriff’s officials said that a woman in her 80s died late Friday night after she fell into a pond and was grabbed by two alligators.
The incident happened at a pond at the Boca Royale Golf and Country Club in Englewood, which is south of Sarasota. A news release from the Sheriff’s Office said that someone saw the woman, whose name and age were not given, fall into a pond on a golf course near her home and struggle to stay afloat.
“Two alligators were seen near the victim while she was in the water, and they grabbed her while she was in the water,” a news release said.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, and officials said that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission came to catch the alligators and take them out of the pond. No one knew what caused the death.
Doug Johnson, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office, wrote in an email that the office is working with the FWC and medical examiner’s office to look into what happened and find out what caused the death.
Melody Kilborn, a spokesperson for the FWC, said that it wasn’t clear if the alligators were involved in the incident or not. All she knew was that they were seen near the body. The two alligators, one of which was 8 feet 10 inches long and the other of which was 7 feet 7 inches long, were taken out of the pond soon after what happened.
Because the investigation is still going on, Doug Foote, the general manager of Boca Royale Golf and Country Club, didn’t want to say anything. He said that on the golf course, there were signs with warnings near the water. But it’s not clear if there was a sign on the side of the water with the houses.
One person in the area said that there are too many alligators in the ponds nearby. The property manager, Brett Norton, could not be reached in time for this story to be written.
According to its website, the Boca Royale Golf and Country Club is a gated community in South Sarasota County with about 1,000 acres of homes, lakes, golf courses, and nature preserves. Foote said that the property has about 1,000 homes, some of which are on the water.
