The Walt Disney Resort in Florida has closed down all of its beaches following a Tuesday night alligator attack that dragged a two-year-old toddler into the Seven Lagoon’s waters.

According to reports coming out of Florida, witnesses observed the father of the toddler struggle to save his son from the jaws of the alligator, but was unsuccessful. The child was playing in approximately one foot of water in the lagoon near the hotel as his father watched nearby when the attack occurred just after 9 pm.[xyz-ihs snippet=”adsense-body-ad”]

The toddler’s father suffered minor injuries as he worked to free his son. After the toddler was taken by the alligator, his mother also entered the lagoon in an effort to locate the child, but was unable to do so. The alligator had already swam away with the child in its grip.

Although the Orange County Sheriff’s department says that there is no record of similar instances in the area of the Seven Lagoons, the Disney Resort had several “No Swimming” signs posted in the immediate area where the child was lost, undoubtedly because of the risk of alligator instances, as alligators in the area are not uncommon. The lagoon is connected with canals and also the adjacent Bay Lake.

The young child was at the resort with his parents and his four-year-old sister from Nebraska. They had arrived on Sunday.

Up to fifty searchers, utilizing helicopters, marine units, and an alligator trapper searched for the child in more than a dozen boats while divers were stayed on standby. So far, at least four alligators have been “taken” and examined, but none of them are now suspected of the attack. Florida’s Fish and Wildlife stated that they work closely with the resort removing nuisance alligators as they are reported.

Jacquee Wahler, one of the vice presidents at the Walt Disney World Resort called the attack a “tragic accident” and said “Our thoughts are with the family. We are helping the family and doing everything we can to assist law enforcement.” 

This week in Florida has been a tragic one. First, 22-year-old singer, Christina Grimmie, was shot and killed at her concert by 27-year-old Kevin James Loibl on Friday. That incident was followed by the killing of 49 nightclub-goers in Orlando by 29-year-old Omar Mateen early Sunday morning.

Update: The body of the young toddler, identified as Lane Graves, was discovered by divers close to the area where he was taken on Wednesday afternoon. Although his body had puncture marks from an alligator, the Sheriff’s department says that it appears as if the cause of death of Lane was drowning.

He was located in the murky waters of Seven Lagoons at a depth of six feet between 30 and 45 feet from where the alligator attacked.

Although preliminary inspections ruled out the four alligators killed and examined, authorities are going to go back and take a closer look. The department stated that they will continue until they know they have the alligator responsible for the attack.

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