MARION COUNTY, Fla. -- It's almost unbelievable. There have been three deadly alligator attacks in Florida in six days. Monday, trappers continued searching miles of waterways to find the one that killed a 23-year-old Tennessee woman in Marion County.

---

TIPS: How To Avoid Confrontations With Gators
FELONY: Killing Gator Is Felony Unless Licensed Trapper

---

The three attacks in the last week happened in Broward, Pinellas and Marion counties.

In Marion County, trappers spent Monday along Lake George, searching for the seven to nine foot gator that killed 23-year-old Annemarie Campbell in the Ocala National Forest while she was snorkeling Sunday afternoon. Her friends tried to save her, but were hurt themselves.

The attack happened about a mile west of Juniper Wayside Park. The area is a popular swimming hole. Now it has gator traps all over the place. They are looking for an adult gator that attacked a woman when she was snorkeling.

The only sign something was amiss on a sunny Sunday was the empty trailer of an alligator trapper. He arrived shortly after 5:00pm to search for a large gator that savagely attacked Annemarie Campbell.

Campbell was visiting from Paris, Tennessee. The 23-year-old was camping at a remote cabin down a forestry road off Highway 19 near Lake George in the Ocala National Forest. In the late afternoon, she and three friends went for a snorkel trip.

When she didn't return, the two men in the party went looking for her. They found an alligator had clamped its mouth around Campbell. Fish and wildlife agents said two of the friends were injured trying to save her.

GET WFTV NEWS HEADLINES BY EMAIL 9 a.m. Headlines Noon Headlines 4 p.m. Headlines News of the Strange Breaking News Alerts

"They risked their life. They did everything they could. They were jabbing at eyes and trying to pry its jaws," said Kat Kelley, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

For Campbell, it was too little too late; she died on the river. Late in the evening Sunday, the medical examiner's truck left, making it the saddest ending possible for a weekend of carefree swimming on the river.

"They are in shock. This is a horrific incident. This is Mother's Day," Kelley said.

Gators have killed 19 since Fish and Wildlife officers started keeping records. Campbell's death marks the second in a week.

Terra Cox grew up swimming on the Juniper Run and knows, sometimes it's just bad luck.

"Somebody was in the wrong spot at the wrong time, because I was raised around gators. Somebody was in the wrong spot at the wrong time," she said.

The trappers were back out Monday looking for the gator responsible after only having a few hours to look Sunday. It may be a challenge, though, as the area the gator could be roaming in is quite large.

Campbell's three companions were too upset to speak with Eyewitness News.

Campbell's death is the state's 19th confirmed alligator attack fatality, dating back to 1948.

Marion County Death Was Second Attack This Week

It took trappers several days to track the alligator responsible for a Broward County woman's death.

Wildlife agents said the 28-year-old woman from Sunrise was attacked and killed as she sat on the edge of a canal on May 9.

Trappers caught the alligator early Saturday morning. Medical examiners found two human arms in the 9-foot animal's stomach.

The death was Broward County's first-ever fatality caused by an alligator.

Alligator May Have Played Role In Pinellas County Death

Early Sunday morning, 43-year-old Judy Cooper's body was discovered in a backyard canal in Oldsmar, near St. Petersburg.

"I was out walking my dog. I went in the backyard and saw a pair of pants floating in the pond and I walked up closer and saw there was a pair of sneakers attached to it," said resident Fred Ferderber.

Authorities said they found no immediate evidence of homicide, but they did discover alligator bite marks on Cooper's body. The medical examiner's office has not issued an official cause of death and is not expected to do so for the next couple of weeks.