A 90-year-old woman walked out of a Charleston nursing home in 2016 andwas killed, while a 45-year-old woman walking her dog wasfatally attacked on Hilton Head Islandin August 2018. Anyone can read what you share. "And then her husband, he was in charge with bocce years ago, and he passed away. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Then, the gator bit his leg. Before those attacks, South Carolina had never recorded a person killed by an alligator. A deputy had to shoot and kill the alligator to get Covert away from the animal, according to the police report released Monday. Police said the victim, whose identity has not been released yet, was recovered from the pond and the alligator was removed. The unidentified woman. Before Fridays deadly attack, the most recent incident was a 44-year-old teacher in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina who was killed by an alligator while walking her dog near a lagoon in the gated community of Sea Pines. While alligator attacks are rare in South Carolina, they are becoming more common as more humans move to alligator-populated areas. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, a statement from the Horry County Police Department. May is mating season for alligators in South Carolina, which means alligators are more active this time of the year. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. The first one was not fatal, she added. When it gets really hot in the summer, a lot of time theyll spend time below the water, where its cooler.. 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. She stated her husband tried hitting the alligator as the alligator kept dragging her friend back into the water.. Don't turn and run, expert warns, according toThe National Wildlife Federation. However, at 5:46 p.m., the HCPD released a statement that the Environmental Services and Criminal Investigations Divisions were working on a death investigation. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. In July, an elderly woman waskilled by two alligatorsin a pond near her Florida home. Charleston County deputies said that officers were called to a . This is at least the third fatal alligator attack in South Carolina in the past four years. Don't turn and run, expert warns. By Gina Martinez August 21, 2018 4:16 PM EDT. The situation . Alligator Attacks and Kills Florida Woman, 85, Who Was Walking Her Dog, Florida Man Hospitalized After Alligator Bites His Face During Swim Near Tampa, 88-Year-Old S.C. Woman Dead After Being Attacked by Alligator at Retirement Community, 11-Foot Alligator Attacks and Kills Florida Woman, 85, Who Was Walking Her Dog, Florida Alligator Stuck in Pond with Her Mouth Taped Shut Is Rescued and Freed After 2 Months, Fla. Man Hospitalized After Alligator Bites His Face During Swim Near Tampa, Girl, 16, Dies in Australia Shark Attack After Jumping into Water to Swim with Dolphins: 'We Are Devastated', 10-Ft. Alligator Spotted on a Florida Beach, Body Cam Footage of Paul Pelosi's Attack Released, Showing Moment Assailant Lunged at Him with Hammer, Man Helps Rescue 77-Year-Old Woman Attacked by Alligator at Retirement Community: 'He Saved Her', 'We Were in the Middle of Dancing': Witness Describes Horror of Mass Shooting at Calif. She kept yelling as Covert crept closer to the gator. 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. This attack is the fourth reported in Charleston County history, according to SCDNR records. An alligator lays in the grass in Myrtle Beach, S.C., April 29, 2003. Alligators only attack when threatened or cornered, but if a human is in water with alligators, it may entice them. Alligator Attacks and Kills Florida Woman, 85, Who Was Walking Her Dog. 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. There could be more that we arent aware of, SCDNR alligator program director, Jay Butfiloski previously said,. First responders were then able to pull the womans body from the water. The police believe that Mr. McGuinness, 47, had entered the lake in John S. Taylor Park at night. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. A woman was killed in an alligator attack Monday in South Carolina,officials confirmed,in what has become an unusual year for alligator attacks. The giant reptile was captured and euthanized on site. Newly acquired data from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources suggests there has been an increase in the number of alligator encounters in the Palmetto State . Noting that serious injuries caused by alligator attacks are rare in state, the FWC said in a statement that anyone with concerns should call their toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR(866-392-4286). A woman was killed in an apparent alligator attack in South Carolina on Monday, police said. You try to maintain distance from the banks, and when you see them out, you admire them from afar. The victim has not been identified. KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. (AP) Authorities say deputies in South Carolina shot and killed an alligator that fatally attacked a woman. Prior to that attack, an unidentified victim died after analligatordragged them into a pond in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. However, this is the second fatal attack in a month. "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. This same shark off the coast of the Outer Banks began its tracking in . You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office is investigating an alligator attack that left one person dead in Sun City. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. An autopsy Monday found Covert died of drowning, the Charleston County Coroner's Office said. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says licensed hunters remove over 1,000 nuisance alligators which are any ones deemeda "threat to pets, livestock or humans" a year, and attack reports in the state are usually just encounters. While mating season brings an increase in their movement around May and June, alligator movement this time of year tends to be among waterways. The dog survived the attack, per the FWC. At 2:30 p.m., the department updated its statement to confirm there was no further threat in the area, and that community members may resume normal activities. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? CNN A person was killed by an alligator near Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, according to police. "He's so frightened," she told the operator. "She fell down and [it] took her.". A-Z Animals reports that a 1,500-pound great white shark is off the coast of the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Fraser actually marketed the Sea Pines Resort using the allure of alligators. Elderly South Carolina Woman Killed by an Alligator After Falling into Pond. 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. Benjamin previously served as Columbia's mayor from 2010 to 2021 and currently sits as the CEO and president of the Benjamin Firm, LLC. . First published on August 15, 2022 / 7:30 PM. ABC News' Darren Reynolds contributed to this report. Legal Statement. The sheriff's office received a call around 11:15 a.m. Monday about a large alligator in a gated community by the edge of a pond, guarding a person's body. 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. Now and then, he will see photos in the local news media of an alligator out and about, he said. All rights reserved. CLICK HERE. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital While alligator attacks are rare in South Carolina, they are becoming more common as more humans move to alligator-populated areas. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. Stephen Benjamin, the former mayor of Columbia, S.C., will be the new senior adviser and director of the Office of Public Engagement, replacing Keisha Lance Bottoms, the White House announced on Monday. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is investigating the incident, the latest in a small string of fatal alligator attacks this summer. The first was an elderly woman in Charleston County in 2016. 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 witness told police that her friend, later identified as 58-year-old Cynthia Covert, of Johns Island, was visiting her home Friday afternoon. Her death has been. ", "She played cards," Sandy Sauers, a friend, told WPBF. The victim was recovered from the pond, and the alligator was removed and euthanized on site. A deputy had to shoot and kill the alligator to get Covert away from the animal . If an alligator attacks, experts say to poke at its eyes and punch and kick it around the head. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. When we got there thats exactly what we found, said Maj. Angela Viens, a public information officer with the Beaufort County sheriffs office. Leanne Golino. The woman's husband and another man tried beating the alligator with shovels, but the animal swam deeper, the police report said. While alligator attacks are rare in South Carolina, they are becoming more common. The creature is most abundant in Louisiana and Florida, with each state having a population of over 1 million alligators. South Carolina has been home to over 100,000 alligators. 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. It appears the victim, Nancy Becker, was gardening near a pond in Sun City . A man has died after an alligator attack in Myrtle Beach, S.C., June 24, 2022. The good news for humans: Alligators have a natural fear of humans and usually will retreat when approached, Texas Parks and Wildlife says. by Mandy Matney May 4, 2020. Alligators will often reposition its bite, take advantage of that to get away. 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. Deputies in South Carolina shot and killed an alligator that fatally attacked a woman on Friday, authorities said. 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. On Aug. 11, Bruce Savage took his dog, Hanna, for a morning walk near. 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. 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 . This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Alligators are active during spring and summer because when temperatures rise, their metabolism increases and they look for food, Melody Kilborn, a spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, told ABC News last month. As friends tried to yank her from the alligators grasp, she calmly said, I guess I wont do this again, moments before the alligator rolled and pulled her under the water, the newspaper reported. Rattlesnakes:What to know if you're bitten by a rattlesnake, Bears:What should you do if you see a bear? 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. On Monday morning police responded to a report of an alligator attack at a pond inside the. The 10-foot alligator, estimated at 400-500 pounds, then attacked Covert, who officials said was 5 feet tall and 100 pounds. 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? "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. Please enter valid email address to continue. 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. However, when she returned, the woman had been pulled into the water. This is the first deadly alligator attack in the state since May 2020, according to authorities. 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. 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. Last summer, a 68-year-old woman was hospitalized after an alligator attack in Sun City-Hilton Head, the Island Packet repotted. 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