UPDATE: Authorities have recovered the body of the little boy who was grabbed by an alligator last night. Please keep the family in your thoughts.
Two-year-old Lane Graves’ body was found intact by the search team. According to CNN, his parents are identified as Matt and Melissa Graves from Elkhorn, Nebraska. The boy’s body was found intact, not far from where he was taken, around 1:45 p.m. Officials are saying he likely drowned, but they have to wait for the autopsy to say that is the official cause.
Original Post:
Due to the horrible events of last night at the Grand Floridian the beaches on Disney property have been closed. It doesn’t really come as a surprise that they closed the beaches though, considering they are still looking for the little boy.
According to CNN, Disney has closed all of its beaches “out of an abundance of caution.” The move comes after a toddler was grabbed and dragged into Seven Seas Lagoon by an alligator. A truly horrifying and nightmarish sight for anyone to see let alone the child’s parents.
It is reported that the child was wading in the water when he was grabbed. Both the father and the mother tried desperately to free their son, but they were unsuccessful. They called for help and a search began immediately.
So far they have found five alligators and, according to USA Today, they will have to be euthanized to see if they were involved in the incident. The attack happened a little after 9 last night, June 14, 2016, so it has been well over 12 hours at this point since the boy was taken. Unfortunately, the search has been changed from a search and rescue to a search and recovery. Officials have said that the incident was “not survivable.”
Nick Wiley, who is the executive director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, told USA Today that the alligator was probably attracted by the splashing on the bank, because that is how they stalk their prey, but that they don’t usually go after people.
Disney is working with authorities and helping the family. They are, of course, devastated by what happened last night.
There is no word on how long the beaches will be closed, but I don’t think it will be permanent. I will keep you updated when I hear more.
Again, my heart absolutely breaks for these parents. I can’t even begin to imagine the amount of pain they are in. That poor little boy. It’s just devastating.
Please, when you are in Disney World, be very mindful of the “No Swimming” signs. Disney has those signs up for very good reasons and they don’t want you going in the water.
The road ahead for this family is going to be difficult. Please keep them in your thoughts.
*Liz*
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Liz
I love all things Disney, but my main love is for Disney World and I'm always planning for the next trip. Before becoming a Disney blogger, I was a radio DJ, so I guess I'm just continuing in the communication industry, just in a different form. I love talking Disney and I could talk about Disney all day. That's why I started blogging and created the Facebook group. The Disney community is full of friendly, helpful, and happy people...and I love being a part of it! If there is any Disney subject you would like to see covered just let me know! Need help planning your Disney vacation. Feel free to contact myself or Melissa at Never Stop Dreaming Travel Co. We love helping people plan their trips! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! Don't forget to check out our Countdown to Disney app! Feel free to email me with suggestions of things you would like to see in the app :-)