The parents of a 2-year-old boy who was dragged from his family by an alligator as they waded in Florida waters Tuesday attempted to fight off the alligator before it got away with their child, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
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"The father entered the water and he tried to grab the child," said Sheriff Jerry Demings. "At some point, I'm told the mother may have entered the water. So the parents diligently tried to get the child."
The father suffered minor cuts to his arms, a Sheriff's Office spokesman said.
Authorities have not identified the family, although Demings said they were visiting from Nebraska.
They brought their two other children on the trip as well, he said. All five were together at Seven Seas Lagoon when the 2-year-old waded into the water, approximately one foot from the water's edge, according to the Sheriff's Office. He was pulled in.
Family members alerted a life guard, who was unable to free the child.
About 14 hours after the boy was reported missing, sheriff's deputies said their efforts had shifted from a search and rescue to a search and recovery mission.
"At this point, this is certainly a recovery effort to make sure the family has some closure once we can recover the body of the child," a Sheriff's Office official told the Palm Beach Post.
WFTV
