Authorities in Florida said early Wednesday a child who was attacked and dragged into the water by an alligator at a Disney resort was still missing.
Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said in a news conference that police have been searching for the 2-year-old boy, but had not found him.
Demings said the boy’s family is from Nebraska and they were on vacation with their three children. The family was relaxing on the shoreline of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa when the alligator attacked.
Demings said the father had entered the water and tried to grab the child from the reptile, but was unsuccessful. The parents quickly alerted a lifeguard that an alligator had attacked the boy.
Orange County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Rose Silva said the initial report came in right before 9:30 p.m.
Demings said more than 50 law enforcement persoel were searching the Seven Seas Lagoon, along with an alligator tracker and two marine units and would continue searching through the night. Reedy Creek Fire Rescue, Orange County and the Florida Fish and Wildlife authorities were also searching for both the child and the alligator, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Deputies searching for 2 year old taken by alligator at Seven Seas Lagoon near Grand Floridian. #Fox35 pic.twitter.com/LmbsdWaEFt
— Keith Landry (@Fox35Keith) June 15, 2016
The attack happened at an area of the lagoon where “no swimming” signs were posted, Demings said. The alligator was estimated to be 4 to 7 feet long, but its exact size was not known, he said.
Fox 35 News reported that two helicopters had joined ground and water efforts to find the boy.
Witnesses told the paper the saw the toddler near the water, but no one had seen an alligator drag the child into the water.
A.J. Jain, a guest at The Grand Floridian right outside Disney’s Magic Kingdom, told the Sentinel that he and his children were playing at the same beach earlier Tuesday.
“I’m just here to say a prayer,” he said. “I can’t imagine what those parents are going through. It’s been one tough week in Orlando.”
Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Wahaler said everyone at the resort was devastated by what happened and Disney is helping the family.
When asked if Disney was aware of alligators on the property, Wahaler advised there were signs that said "no swimming."
Demings said there had been no other recent reports of similar alligator attacks on the lake.
"We have no record of this happening before," he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.