Current:Home > MyAlligator attacks and kills woman who was walking her dog in South Carolina -FutureWise Finance
Alligator attacks and kills woman who was walking her dog in South Carolina
View
Date:2025-04-16 13:03:30
A woman who was walking her dog was killed in an alligator attack in South Carolina Tuesday morning, authorities said, marking the second fatal gator attack in the county in less than a year.
According to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded at about 9:30 Tuesday morning to a report of a possible alligator attack near a lagoon bordering a golf course in the Spanish Wells community on Hilton Head Island. A 69-year-old resident of the community was located at the edge of the lagoon and appeared to be unresponsive, officials said.
"Rescue efforts were made and an alligator appeared and was guarding the woman, interrupting emergency efforts," the sheriff's office said. "The gator was safely removed from the area and the woman's body was recovered."
Deputies determined that the woman was walking her dog earlier in morning when she was attacked by the alligator. The dog was found safe, Major Angela Viens, a sheriff's office spokesperson, told the Associated Press.
The Beaufort County Coroner's Office will perform an autopsy on the woman.
In a tweet, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources said its "biologists and officers are responding" to the incident.
The incident comes less than a year after another woman was fatally attacked by an alligator in Beaufort County. On August 15 last year, an 88-year-old Sun City woman was killed by an alligator at a lagoon near her home.
Fatal alligator attacks in South Carolina had never been reported until recent years.
In 2020, deputies shot and killed an alligator that fatally attacked a 58-year-old woman on Kiawah Island, South Carolina.
In 2019, a man was found dead on Kiawah Island with what authorities believed to be alligator bite marks but it was unclear how the man initially died.
In 2016, a 90-year-old woman walked out of a Charleston nursing home in 2016 and was killed by a gator, while a 45-year-old woman walking her dog was fatally attacked on Hilton Head Island in August 2018.
Prior to those attacks, South Carolina had never recorded a person fatally attacked by an alligator.
- In:
- South Carolina
- Alligator
Stephen Smith is a senior editor for CBSNews.com.
veryGood! (79868)
Related
- Small twin
- It's so hot at the U.S. Open that one participant is warning that a player is gonna die
- Convicted of embezzlement, former Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon is running again
- 2 attacks by Islamist insurgents in Mali leave 49 civilians and 15 soldiers dead, military says
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- Sam Taylor-Johnson Shares Glimpse Into Her Summer Romance With Husband Aaron Taylor-Johnson
- Freddie Mercury bangle sold for nearly $900K at auction, breaking record for rock star jewelry
- 'Barbie' music producer Mark Ronson opens up about the film's 'bespoke' sound
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- Suspect arrested in brutal attack and sexual assault of Wisconsin university student
Ranking
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- Man gets 9 years for setting fire that gutted historic, century-old Indiana building
- Top workplaces: Here's your chance to be deemed one of the top workplaces in the U.S.
- Narcissists have a type. Are you a narcissist magnet? Here's how to tell.
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- New state abortion numbers show increases in some surprising places
- Ta’Kiya Young had big plans for her growing family before police killed her in an Ohio parking lot
- Without proper air conditioning, many U.S. schools forced to close amid scorching heat
Recommendation
What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
Lawyer for Influencer Ruby Franke's Husband Denies Involvement in Alleged Child Abuse Case
Disney+ deal: Stream service $1.99 monthly for 3 months. Watch 'Ashoka,' 'Little Mermaid' and more
Biden aims to use G20 summit and Vietnam visit to highlight US as trustworthy alternative to China
Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
Simone Biles Shares Hope to Return for 2024 Olympics After Experiencing Twisties in Tokyo
North Carolina board reasserts funding control over charter schools after losing other powers
Judge orders Texas to remove floating barriers aimed at discouraging migrants from entering US