Gator Attack Blamed In Girl's Death
Trappers Kill Alligator Suspected In Attack
A 2-year-old girl was found dead in a
lake Saturday, and police believe that she may have been killed by an
alligator.
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Alexandria Murphy was reported missing at 4:19 p.m. after she
wandered away from her family's back yard, police said. Her mother
and grandmother were inside the house when she disappeared.
A Polk County sheriff's office deputy found the girl's body less
than an hour later near the Lake Cannon shoreline.
Alexandria had bites on both arms and her right thigh, as well
as a broken left arm. The injuries are consistent with an alligator
attack, State Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman
Gary Morse said.
However, authorities were not sure if she drowned and was later
bitten or vice versa. An autopsy was scheduled for Monday.
An FWC trapper caught and killed the gator suspected in the
attack. The reptile was 6 1/2 feet long, officials said.
If the death is a result of an alligator attack, Alexandria
would be the twelfth person to die in such an incident in the last
50 years.
Last month, a 71-year-old Sarasota man was killed by an
alligator.
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