Fatal alligator attacks are typically rare in the United States, with the Center for Disease and Prevention reporting that alligators killed only 10 people in the Southeast from 1999 to 2019. On the call, a neighbor who "just happened to look" outside when the attack occurred can be heard frantically telling the 911 operator "the alligator's got her" and to "please hurry," according to ABC affiliate WPBF. Cynthia Covert, 58, died in the attack Friday afternoon on Kiawah Island, Charleston County deputies said. ", RELATED VIDEO: Officials Say Shark Attacked Woman Who Vanished While Snorkeling with Husband, Blast 'Conspiracy Theories'. The 25 Defining Works of the Black Renaissance. The police believe that Mr. McGuinness, 47, had entered the lake in John S. Taylor Park at night. Treat your dog like you would treat your child.. It was at least the fourth deadly alligator attack in the United States so far this year. The body of a man who had been retrieving Frisbees from a lake in Largo, Fla., which serves as a habitat for alligators, was found on May 31. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. It appears the victim, Nancy Becker, was gardening near a pond in Sun City Hilton Head, an adult-only community, and slipped in, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office and the Department of Natural Resources. His recommendation for anyone who does get attacked by an alligator: Fight like your life depends on it., Poke the gator in the eyes and try to ram your hand down its throat, he advises. In July, a 75-year-old Callawassie Island woman was trimming plants near a community pond when an alligator latched onto her and pulled her into . Jurors on Wednesday visited the South Carolina estate where prosecutors say disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh shot and killed his wife and son, touring the crime scene before . Officials have released a 911 call made after an alligator fatally attacked an 85-year-old woman in Florida earlier this week. Alligator attacks are rare, fatal ones even rarer. A good comparison would be that a dog is like what a bowl of pasta or chicken is to a human, when an alligator sees a dog they see their next meal, he says. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Alligator Fatally Attacks Man at the Edge of a South Carolina Pond, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/26/us/myrtle-beach-fatal-alligator-attack.html. This attack is the fourth reported in Charleston County history, according to SCDNR records. Moments before the attack, the womans friend warned her to not get closer to the alligator, according to a sheriffs office incident report obtained by FITSNews, but reported first by the Post and Courier. ". The authorities did not release the victims name, age or other circumstances about the attack. The death on Friday was the first from an alligator attack in South Carolina since May 2020, when 58-year-old Cynthia Covert was dragged into a pond behind her friends home on Kiawah Island, near Charleston, according to The Post and Courier. When Covert was about four feet from the edge of the water, the alligator attacked and dragged her into the water, according to the incident report. By Gina Martinez August 21, 2018 4:16 PM EDT. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Then, the gator bit his leg. Theyre a part of nature., He called Fridays death a tragic, freak accident.. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday, according to the Charleston County Sheriffs Office. Before those attacks, South Carolina had never recorded a person killed by an alligator. A person in South Carolina was killed after being dragged into a retention pond by an alligator near Myrtle Beach on Friday, authorities said. ': Hot, hungry alligators are taking lonely strolls in Florida. An 88-year-old woman was killed in an apparent alligator attack in South Carolina Aug. 15, 2022. "She fell down and [it] took her.". It appears the victim, Nancy Becker, was gardening near the pond and slipped in. An officer observed the alligator and the victim surface in the water, the report said. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says, you have a better chance of getting attacked by a grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park, Hot, hungry alligators are taking lonely strolls in Florida, meaning there could be an increase in alligator activity, Alligators have a natural fear of humans and usually will retreat when approached, Texas Parks and Wildlife says, Experts from the University of Florida say, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. People building homes where alligators live have caused the increase in attacks, Mazzotti, a wildlife expert with the University of Floridas Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, tells TIME. There were an average of about 10 alligator bites a year in the 2010s, compared with an average of eight a year in the 1980s. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The woman found dead in an alligator attack in Sun City Hilton Head on Monday has been identified as an 88-year-old resident of the community, according to the Beaufort County Coroner's Office . He said the reports come amid an increase in building development and in the number of people moving into areas previously occupied by alligators. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is investigating the incident, the latest in a small string of fatal alligator attacks this summer. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. At least four people have been killed in alligator attacks in 2022. My prayers and heart go out to the family as my arms wrap tighter around my kids and dogs near these ponds.. In 2018, an eight-foot-long . He adds: Dont let your dog run free. Please enter valid email address to continue. When deputies arrived, the alligator kept surfacing with Covert and going under. The pond in which the body was found is surrounded by houses on all sides, said Major Viens, noting that it was the second alligator attack in the gated community in five years. A person walking their dog discovered his body along the shoreline the next morning, the police said. a man was killed looking for Frisbees on May 31 in Florida, another manwas killed near a retention pond in South Carolina on June 24, an 80-year-old Florida woman was killed along a golf course, run-ins with the reptiles near their homes, What to know if you're bitten by a rattlesnake, What should you do if you see a bear? A woman killed by an alligator at a South Carolina pond told a friend she wanted to get close to the animal and didn't scream as it attacked her and dragged her into the water, according to a police report. Alligator attacks are rare, and there's an even slimmer chance of being killed by one. The area in the Outer Banks is a favorite hangout spot for great white sharks, apparently. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Fox News Flash top headlines are here. "Splashing in the water will attract analligators interest, and if it perceives at that point in time that there's something smaller and weaker in the water, it might attack it," Mazzoti said. Got something youd like to say in response to one of our articles? Deputies in South Carolina shot and killed an alligator that fatally attacked a woman on Friday, authorities said. Alligator attacks are rare, and there's an even slimmer chance of being killed by one. Initially, the Horry County Fire Rescue was dispatched at 11:54 a.m. to a water-related call in the area of Excalibur Court in Myrtle Beach, a statement from the department said. Alligators only attack when threatened or cornered, but if a human is in water with alligators, it may entice them. It appears she was gardening near a pond in an adult-only . She was a good friend to a lot of people in the park.". Hilton Head Island residents share the roads with 2,000 - 4,000 alligators - who use an "alligator crossing" to cross busy roads. The body of an 88-year-old woman was found near a pond in a gated community near Hilton Head, South Carolina, after what authorities suspect was an alligator attack. On Monday morning police responded to a report of an alligator attack at a pond inside the Sun City gated community, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook. Then, the gator bit his leg. Alligator attacks, like one after which a woman was found dead near Hilton Head Island, S.C., are rare but not surprising, said Maj. Angela Viens of the Beaufort County sheriffs office. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, a statement from the Horry County Police Department. The giant reptile was captured and euthanized on site. But fatal gator attacks are rare. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story", Bipartisan Senate group unveils rail safety bill in response to Ohio derailment, What to know about Shigella bacteria as drug-resistant strain spreads, Woman killed in South Carolina gator attack, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother, Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. In many instances, there are several of factors that contribute to an alligator attack. South Carolina has been home to over 100,000 alligators. Cynthia Covert, 58, drowned Friday after an alligator repeatedly pulled her into a pond on Kiawah Island, according to a report from the Charleston County Sheriff's Office. Officials identified the woman as Nancy A. Becker, a resident of Sun City Hilton Head, who they believe was gardening near the pond and slipped into the water, where she was attacked by the alligator. 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story", Bipartisan Senate group unveils rail safety bill in response to Ohio derailment, What to know about Shigella bacteria as drug-resistant strain spreads, Woman killed in apparent alligator attack, Woman killed in apparent South Carolina alligator attack, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother, Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Nationally, between 1948 and August 2004, 376 injuries and 15 deaths as a result of alligator encounters were reported in the U.S., which means one reported death every three to four years,according to a 2004 studyin the peer-revieWilderness & Environmental Medicine journal. Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter:@jordan_mendoza5. The HCPD said its death investigation remains underway. Covert was pulled under the water shortly after, the report read. The black Labrador retriever mix was standing up to his. A man was killed on Friday after being dragged into a retention pond by an alligator near Myrtle Beach, S.C., the first such deadly attack in the state since 2020, the authorities said. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. The witness told police that her friend, later identified as 58-year-old Cynthia Covert, of Johns Island, was visiting her home Friday afternoon. First published on August 15, 2022 / 7:30 PM. The woman was walking her dog around a Hilton Head. The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office is investigating an alligator attack that left one person dead in Sun City. Jason Repak, who lives in the same community as the victim, snapped a photo of three alligators behind his condominium last month and posted it on social media. Fire rescue and police arrived around 11:45 a.m.. All rights reserved. Rattlesnakes:What to know if you're bitten by a rattlesnake, Bears:What should you do if you see a bear? South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) officials urge residents and tourists to never feed alligators as it makes them more aggressive toward humans. In an extremely rare event, a South Carolina woman was killed in an alligator attack Friday on Kiawah Island, according to the Charleston County Sheriffs Office. Firefighters used poles to get Covert out of the pond but she died at the hospital, authorities said. 8/16/2022. The witness said Covert was not acting like her normal self. She said she was cleaning up and noticed her friend on the back steps, very close to the alligator. Responders found the gator "guarding" Becker, officials said. Aug. 15, 2022 The body of an 88-year-old woman who was killed by an alligator was discovered on Monday in a pond in a gated community near Hilton Head Island, S.C., officials said. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, A woman in South Carolina was killed by an alligator Monday, the state's second deadly attack this year, authorities said.The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office and other emergency services were at . For reference, you have a better chance of getting attacked by a grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park. Cline was walking her dog alongside a lagoon adjacent to the Sea Pines Resort golf course when she was attacked about 9:30 a.m. Sea Pine, a 5,200-square-foot gated community, was built in 1957 and is located at the southern tip of Hilton Head Island. This same shark off the coast of the Outer Banks began its tracking in . An 88-year-old woman was killed in an apparent alligator attack in South Carolina on Monday, officials said. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Updated on: August 15, 2022 / 7:34 PM Anyone can read what you share. A man has died after an alligator attack in Myrtle Beach, S.C., June 24, 2022. The Associated Press contributed to this report. And you know, she's been alone. "With how many people there are and how many alligators there are, it's really surprising it doesn't happen more often,"Frank Mazzotti, professor of wildlife ecology and member of the "Croc Docs" at the University of Florida, told USA TODAY. The latest was at least the fourth in the United States since May and the second this year in South Carolina. While he was unaware of the details of Mondays alligator attack, Mr. Butfiloski said that such attacks typically happen when a person is near the edge of a body of water, and occur more frequently when a person is accompanied by a pet. Florida, which has the most human-alligator interactions, has recorded 24 deadly alligator attacks since 1948 but 14 of those have occurred in the last 20 years, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission data. Authorities say the woman "died as a result of the incident" and that her body was recovered, according to a statement previously obtained by PEOPLE from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. In South Carolina, they can be found in the states coastal marshlands, according to the Department of Natural Resources. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Covert, of Johns Island, made no sound as the alligator pulled her under, the woman told police. She survived the incident. The unidentified woman. A woman was killed in an apparent alligator attack in South Carolina on Monday, police said. An investigation into the death is continuing, the police said. An 88-year-old woman was killed in an apparent alligator attack in South Carolina on Monday, officials said. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Once officers arrived on the scene, officials determined that "an alligator had taken hold of a neighbor and retreated into a nearby retention pond," a statement from the Horry County Police Department said. The victim was identified as 88-year-old Nancy Becker, ABC News reports. Watch Live: Closing arguments begin in double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, Intel review says "very unlikely" foreign adversary behind "Havana Syndrome", Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, Watch Live: Garland testifies amid ongoing special counsel investigations, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students. The last fatal alligator attack to occur in South Carolina was in May 2020, when a 58-year-old woman saw an alligator and went to touch it, despite her friend's warnings, according to The Post and Courier. June 25, 2022 / 2:26 PM / CBS News. Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles, Why Deadly Alligator Attacks Like South Carolina Are a Growing Trend. Dog around a Hilton Head read What you Share 24, 2022 Head., 58, died in the Outer Banks is a favorite hangout spot for great sharks... 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