14-Foot Alligator Kills Florida Woman; Do Gators Eat Humans? How Deadly Are These Reptiles?

An alligator was spotted with human remains in its mouth. Officials identified the victim as Sabrina Peckham, 41. Her daughter was convinced that the giant reptile had killed her mom.

Massive Alligator Accused of Killing a Woman From Florida

Florida Fish and Wildlife and Pinellas County deputies extricated a roughly 14-foot alligator from a small creek on 134th Avenue North in Largo. The body discovered in its jaws was identified the following day to be Peckham.

After officials confirmed that the remains found in the gator's mouth were hers Saturday, Peckham's family still struggles with the loss. Her 23-year-old daughter Breauna Dorris said her passing was "very tragic."

Dorris was hoping the body didn't belong to her mom. She reportedly begged and prayed and was heartbroken when informed the victim was Peckham.

The idea that her mother was homeless worried her. She last saw her mom on the morning before the incident.

She added that it was difficult to consider her mom's passing because usually, folks pass away peacefully, but that wasn't the case for her mom. She noted that it occurred quickly, and no one understood what happened. She stressed that she would never be satisfied with knowing, and it would be challenging to consider it that way.

Despite her mother's history with drugs, which left her homeless, Dorris said she doesn't think drugs were a factor in her demise.

"I don't think when the toxicology comes back that it's going to show that she died from like an overdose or anything like that. I do think that the gator ultimately was what killed her," she said.

Now, the woman's body is being examined by the medical examiner.

Do Alligators Eat People?

Alligators are dangerous wild animals. Never intentionally approach an alligator or tease, threaten, or provoke it. Alligator attacks are still relatively uncommon, and they also rarely consume humans. Only a small percentage of attacks result in death, and frequently, the bodies are discovered whole after an attack.

It appears like alligator attacks are frequently reported! But are they as widespread as they seem? Florida has only recorded 401 alligator bites since 1948. Only a tiny portion of these were deadly.

Generally speaking, alligators are not hostile toward people. Alligators under 5 feet long rarely attack without provocation. However, strange behavior does occasionally happen.

Alligators that are under 8 feet long often only bite once. Florida records the majority of bites, with 340 assaults between 1948 and 2006, of which 17 were deadly to people. There are reports of attacks in South Carolina, Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, and Alabama. The majority of assaults are not fatal, but one-third of them result in recurrent bites, severe injuries, or death.

Alligators under 8 feet typically engage in serious and frequent attacks, which almost certainly stem from chasing and feeding—either drowning or suffocation results in death. Alligators' mouths are full of gram-negative bacteria, particularly Aeromonas, which can cause infections in humans who manage to escape an alligator assault. All alligator bites need medical attention, and severe wounds may require hospitalization.

Check out more news and information on Alligators in Science Times.