An 11-foot alligator in Florida that killed a 61-year-old canoer near Lake Kissimmee last year was later found and euthanized, according to state wildlife officials.
A report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, obtained this week by ClickOrlando, provides the most in-depth look yet at the shocking encounter that killed Cynthia Diekema of Davenport.
On May 6, Diekema and her husband were canoeing in Tiger Creek when they encountered an 11-foot, 4-inch alligator.
The couple had seen multiple alligators during their voyage and Diekema told her husband it looked like they were “about to go right over top of one,” according to officials.
The canoe passed over the gator’s back, which startled the animal.
"The alligator thrashed and tipped the canoe over, and both individuals ended up in the water," Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Evan Laskowski said at the time of the incident.
“That spooked that alligator because it doesn’t know what’s going on or what just touched it—and when a gator of that size decides to move, it happens fast,” Brandon Fisher, an alligator expert at the Gatorland wildlife park, told CBS 12 of the findings.
Once the pair were in the water, the alligator clamped onto Diekema’s midsection, as her husband fought in vain to free her.
The gator then did a “death roll” maneuver and dragged her under water.
The husband was able to flag down an airboater to call for help, and wildlife officers and a trapper later found and euthanized the alligator. They appear to have dispatched the animal shortly after the bite took place.
Diekema’s remains were found, but her right arm was never recovered, WESH reports.
Serious unprovoked alligator bites on humans are rare.
Between 1984 and 2022, there were 339 major bites, resulting in 27 deaths.
Those in areas with known alligator populations are avoided to keep a safe distance, keep pets on a leash, and swim in designated areas during daylight hours.
The state of Florida issues tags to hunters allowing them to remove gators that are four feet or longer.
State officials have a toll-free nuisance alligator hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286).
