On the third day of their summer vacation at the most magical place on earth, the family of four from Nebraska decided Tuesday night would be one to relax.
They sunk into the white sandy beach that stretches along Disney’s luxe Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, one of the features this particular hotel uses to entice its high-end guests, and watched their 2-year-old son wade ankle-deep into the man-made lake known by vacationers as Seven Seas Lagoon.
It was just after 9 p.m.
The sun had already set.
The boy was just a foot beyond the sand.
Then the alligator attacked.
Right before them, the parents watched the beast grab their son and drag him deeper into the water, officials said at a press conference early Wednesday morning. The father, who was not identified, rushed in and grabbed desperately for his son. He cut his hand, but did not win.
By 1 a.m. Wednesday, authorities from Disney World, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission had deployed more than 50 law enforcement officers in helicopters and boats to the Seven Seas Lagoon, desperately searching for the missing toddler. Divers and trappers were on standby, officials said, and they were using sonar technology. After four hours, authorities had still found nothing.
“We’re not leaving until we recover the child,” Sheriff Jerry Demings said at an early morning press conference Wednesday.
Authorities did not release the name of the child or the child’s parents.
Witnesses that were nearby when the alligator snatched the boy gave law enforcement “detailed” information about what happened, but Demings did not tell reporters what they said.
One witness them dialed 911 at 9:16 p.m., Demings said. The mother and father, who at different points both ran into the water after the child, shouted for the help of a nearby lifeguard.
“The parents diligently tried to get the child,” Demings said.
Demings said that, according to witnesses, the family had set up a baby pen about 20 to 30 yards from the water on the sand, reported CNN. With the parents and 2-year-old boy was a daughter, who is four, the network reported. A witness told CNN a movie was being screened on the beach Tuesday night.
There were no other people in the water at the time of the attack, according to authorities. Signs posted near the lake warn against swimming in it, reported the Orlando Sentinel, but there were no signs warning of alligators. The sheriff said there had been no recent reports of any nuisance alligators in the area, but questions about their presence in the lake will be part of the ongoing investigation.
The gator that got the child, Deming said, was reported to be somewhere between four and seven feet in length.
“As a father, as a grandfather, we’re going to hope for the best in these circumstances,” Sheriff Jerry Demings said at an early morning press conference Wednesday. “But based upon my 35 years in law enforcement experience, we know we have some challenges ahead.”
The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa is nestled among Disney’s sprawling complex, positioned just south of the Magic Kingdom theme park in the Orlando area. It stretches along the west side of the Seven Seas Lagoon, a man-made lake that park visitors cross on ferries in route to the Magic Kingdom.
“Victorian elegance meets modern sophistication at this lavish bayside Resort hotel,” reads the Grand Floridian description online. “Relax in the sumptuous lobby as the live orchestra plays ragtime, jazz and popular Disney tunes. Bask on the white-sand beach, indulge in a luxurious massage and watch the fireworks light up the sky over Cinderella Castle.”
Demings told reporters that, according to records, this was the first alligator attack at Disney.
“Everyone here at the Walt Disney World resort is devastated by this tragic accident,” a Disney official told reporters. “Our thoughts are with the family. We are helping the family and doing everything we can to assist law enforcement.”
A.J. Jain and his wife, resort guests from Georgia, were on the same beach with friends near the scene of the attack Tuesday night, reported the Orlando Sentinel.
“I’m just here to say a prayer,” Jain said. “I can’t imagine what those parents are going through. It’s been one tough week in Orlando.”
This attack is the third tragedy to strike the Orlando area in less than a week. Last Friday, 22-year-old Christina Grimmie, a former finalist on NBC’s “The Voice,” was shot and killed by a deranged fan while signing autographs after a concert in the city. Less than 48 hours later, 49 people were massacred and 53 were injured inside an Orlando gay nightclub in the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
“We’re doing our best to deal with all of the situations we have going on here,” Demings told reporters Wednesday. “Our staff is very resilient, and tonight they’re very focused, if you will, on assisting this family.”
(c) 2016, The Washington Post ยท Katie Mettler
