Tragically, an elderly woman in South Carolina was killed by an alligator on Tuesday morning, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office. The 69-year-old woman was discovered unresponsive near the edge of a lagoon in the Spanish Wells community of Hilton Head Island at approximately 9:30 a.m.
Despite rescue efforts, emergency personnel were interrupted by an alligator that was guarding the woman. Once the alligator was safely removed, the woman's body was recovered.
The Beaufort County Coroner's Office plans to conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death. It is believed that the woman was walking her dog near the lagoon when the attack took place. Fortunately, her dog was found safe.
The alligator involved in the incident was reported to be nearly 10 feet long, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
This unfortunate incident marks the second local fatality involving alligators in the past year. Last August, an 88-year-old resident of Sun City was killed by an alligator near a lagoon. Authorities are actively investigating the recent incident, and no further details are available at this time.
