A toddler who was attacked and dragged into a Disney resort lagoon by an alligator Tuesday night had still not been found Wednesday moing, and the desperate search for the 2-year-old boy moved from rescue to recovery mode.

Authorities plaed to continue searching the Seven Seas Lagoon at Disney World’s The Grand Floridian Resort & Spa even as hope began to fade.

“The sad reality of it is it’s been several hours and we’re not likely going to recover a live body,” Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said.

The toddler was playing at the edge of the shoreline of the lagoon when the alligator came up and snatched the boy, Williamson said. The boy’s family is from Nebraska and they were on vacation with their three children at the resort when the alligator attacked, Demings said.

The boy's father entered the water and tried to grab the child from the reptile, but he was unsuccessful and sustained cuts and lacerations during the struggle, Demings said. The parents quickly alerted a lifeguard, but the lifeguard was too far away from the scene of the attack to help the father.

Four alligators had already been caught in the lagoon early Wednesday moing, but no evidence had been found indicating any of the reptiles were responsible for attacking the boy, a Florida Fish and Wildlife official said.

The initial report of the incident came in right before 9:30 p.m., Orange County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Rose Silva said.

More than 50 law enforcement persoel were searching the Seven Seas Lagoon, along with an alligator tracker and two marine units, Demings said. Reedy Creek Fire Rescue, Orange County and the Florida Fish and Wildlife authorities were also searching, The Orlando Sentinel reported.

A sonar boat was being used, because sending divers in would be like "seeking a needle in a haystack," Williamson told Fox News.

The attack happened at an area of the lagoon where “no swimming” signs were posted, Demings said. The boy wasn’t swimming in the water, but playing on the edge, about a foot or two into the water, Williamson said.

The alligator was estimated to be 4 feet to 7 feet long, but its exact size was not known, he said.

Fox 35 News reported two helicopters had joined ground and water efforts to find the boy.

Witnesses told the paper they saw the toddler near the water, but no one had seen an alligator drag the child in.

A.J. Jain, a guest at The Grand Floridian right outside Disney’s Magic Kingdom, told the Sentinel 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.

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.

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