A 31-year-old woman died after being attacked by a 13-foot alligator while swimming in a Florida river, despite her boyfriend’s efforts to free her.
The incident occurred on June 28 in the Little Big Econ State Forest, northeast of Orlando, where the victim and her boyfriend were hiking with friends and dogs.
The group had stopped to swim in the Econlockhatchee River when the alligator lunged at the woman in roughly three feet of water and seized her arm.
The animal pulled her into a violent death roll, dragging her through the water as it maintained its grip.
Her boyfriend entered the water and wrestled the alligator, initially forcing it to release her before it attacked again and bit her other arm.
He continued fighting the reptile until he freed her, after which the alligator retreated. She had already sustained severe trauma.
Companions pulled the woman to the riverbank and called emergency services, with one caller describing her injuries as “horrible” and urging a rapid response.
A medical examination later found she suffered a partially severed left arm and an open fracture to her right arm.
First responders detected a faint pulse and rushed her to a hospital, but she was pronounced dead at 2:48 p.m.
Wildlife officers captured and killed two alligators near the scene, measuring 12.5 and 13 feet. DNA testing confirmed the larger animal was responsible.
Officials have not determined what prompted the attack. The woman’s boyfriend stated she asked him to care for her dogs before losing consciousness.
The death marked the third fatal alligator attack in Florida within seven days, though such fatalities remain uncommon.
State records show two deaths in each of the prior two years and one in several earlier years, underscoring the rarity of lethal encounters.
Authorities advise swimming only in designated areas, keeping pets leashed near water, and never feeding or handling alligators, as feeding encourages dangerous proximity to humans.
