Large gator seen with man’s body in its mouth in Florida

LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) – Lakeland police are at Lake Hunter where a large alligator was seen with a man’s body in its mouth.

On Tuesday afternoon, someone at Florida Presbyterian Homes called 911 to report seeing an alligator in the lake that had a body in its mouth.

Police responded to the scene and told WISH-TV’s sister station WFLA that they saw the gator with the body. The alligator then released the body from its mouth..

Right now, police are trying to keep the alligator away from the body so they can remove the body from the water. The body is that of a man, police said.

A state alligator trapper responded to the scene around 3 p.m. to help catch the gator. As of 4 p.m., the trapper was on the lake with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers. There are two alligators that keep showing up in the lake, but they have not been able to capture them. Around 4:25 p.m, the gator trapper returned to shore to set out a buoy with bait.  He was unable to find and hook the gator by hand.

Lakeland police are investigating the identity of the man. No other details have been released.

Florida Presbyterian Homes is a senior living community located at 16 Lake Hunter Drive in Lakeland.