South Carolina Woman, 88, Killed In Deadly Alligator Attack While Gardening

Updated on August 16, 2022 22:26 PM by Dhinesh

Officials said an alligator killed an 88-year-old South Carolina woman on Monday while living in a popular senior community.

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Deadly attack!

The victim, identified by multiple outlets, including USA Today and The New York Times, as Nancy A. Becker, was discovered by a pond in Sun City Hilton Head, a gated community for adults 55 and older just north of Savannah, Georgia.

The Beaufort County Sheriff's officials were dispatched to the area around 11:15 a.m. local time; they said in a Facebook post after they were called that a person was in a 300-square-yard pond on the property with an alligator.

According to the sheriff's office, emergency personnel located the deceased female on the scene.

Beaufort County sheriff's spokeswoman Maj. Angela Viens told NBC News that the alligator, a 9-foot, 8-inch male, was said to be standing guard beside her.

Viens added, "The alligator was basically holding her hostage, I guess. I don't know what the appropriate term would be. It was guarding her and did not want people close by."

According to Times, officials believe Becker was gardening near the pond and may have slipped into the water before the attack.

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The reptile was removed and euthanized:

In a release, Becker's body was eventually recovered around 1 p.m; that afternoon, the sheriff's office said. NBC News reported that personnel with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) located and removed the alligator around 4 p.m.

A probe into the incident is being handled by the SCDNR and the Beaufort County Coroner's Office, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office said.

On Tuesday, an autopsy will be conducted at the South Medical University of South Carolina, WJCL-TV reported.

Fourth attack overall in the country:

The attack is the second this year and the third in South Carolina since 2020. In May of that year, a Myrtle Beach man was killed when he was dragged into a retention pond.

As per The Post and Courier, the 58-year-old, Cynthia Covert, was killed when she was dragged by an alligator into a pond at home on Kiawah Island.

Rare but unsurprising:

Despite the horror and infrequency of the incident, on Monday, Viens told the Times that they are not unheard of. She said, "Alligator attacks are rare but not surprising."