An alligator killed a woman walking her dog in South Carolina on Monday morning when the creature attacked and dragged her into a lagoon near Hilton Head Island, authorities said.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday they responded to a report of a potential alligator attack near a lagoon in the resort community of Sea Pines Plantation and found the woman’s dead body inside the lagoon.
Witnesses say the woman was walking her dog when an eight-foot long alligator struck her and “pulled” her into the water. The woman’s dog remained unharmed.
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Capt. Robert McCullough told the Post and Courier security officials reviewed surveillance footage of the attack.
Sea Pines Living released a statement on Facebook acknowledging the woman’s death:
Sea Pines CSA is actively working with local authorities to ensure necessary access to the site while the investigation is underway. At this time, little information is available about the individual or incident. We are extremely saddened by this news and will share information with the community as it is made available.
The medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine the woman’s official cause of death.
The woman is reportedly the second person in South Carolina’s history to die of an alligator attack, according to McCullough.