LAKELAND, Fla. — A Medical Examiner said the remains found inside a 9-foot alligator were those of a human being. The manner and cause of death is still undetermined.
The gator was captured Tuesday night in Lakeland.
Lakeland police spokesman Gary Gross said officers responded to Lake Hunter on Tuesday afternoon.
Raw: Crews search for alligator
“The first officer on the scene saw that alligator with what appeared to be a body in its mouth, turning and thrashing in the water,” said Gross.
Officers were able to retrieve the body and Gross said a trapper was called to capture the reptile. Gross said the body is that of an adult male, but has not been identified.
Trappers with Florida Fish and Wildlife stunned and dragged the animal out of Lake Hunter and onto their boat.
Investigators said the challenge will be identifying the man and determining if he died from an attack.
“It could have been something else, and then the alligator later found that body in the water,” said Gross. “We don’t know at this point in time.”
Officers were called to Lake Hunter twice last weekend.
On Saturday, someone reported clothing in the water and aggressive alligator near the boat dock.
Then on Sunday, another caller told officers there was an alligator circling something in the water.
Police said there are no open missing persons’ cases to help them identify the body.
Police said all residents of a nearby retirement community are accounted for.
Last week, two fishermen discovered alligators eating a dead man in a South Florida canal.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.