Dog-walking woman killed when gator pulls her into lagoon

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A woman walking her dog was killed Monday morning when an alligator attacked her and dragged her into a lagoon in South Carolina, police said.

Beaufort County Sheriff's Office received a call around 9:30 a.m. about a possible alligator attack near a lagoon in Sea Pines Plantation, a resort community at Hilton Head Island. Officers arrived and discovered the woman’s body inside the lagoon.

 

According to witnesses, the unidentified woman was walking her dog when an alligator, about 8 feet long, "attacked and pulled" her into the water. Security staff also viewed surveillance video of the attack, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources spokesman Capt. Robert McCullough told The Post and Courier.

 

Authorities are at the lagoon searching for the alligator.

An autopsy will be conducted to determine the woman’s cause of death. Her dog was not harmed.

Sea Pines Living posted on its Facebook page to confirm the woman’s death.

“Sea Pines CSA is actively working with local authorities to ensure necessary access to the site while the investigation is underway. At this time, little information is available about the individual or incident. We are extremely saddened by this news and will share information with the community as it is made available,” the post read.

McCullough said the woman was the second person to die from an alligator attack in South Carolina history.