Investigators say slain 10-foot gator is the one that killed boy
By Associated Press
Published June 21, 2003
TAVARES - Trappers killed and removed three more alligators from the Dead River on Friday, including one that killed a 12-year-old boy late Wednesday, investigators said.
Trappers already had killed and removed eight alligators from the narrow river, where Bryan Griffin was pulled under while swimming with friends at the Palm Gardens Marina, about 35 miles northwest of Orlando.
Investigators earlier had said they thought one of those eight killed Bryan, but said later they're convinced that a 10-foot, 4-inch, 339-pound alligator pulled from the canal Friday morning was the one.
"He exhibited the same characteristics as the one that killed the boy," said Lt. Nick Pallitto, a spokesman for the Lake County Sheriff's Office. "He was coming up to the dock. He wasn't afraid."
Later Friday, the Medical Examiner's Office said injuries on the boy were consistent with the jaws and teeth of that alligator.
"Based on all available information ... we believe the responsible alligator has been removed from the Dead River," the Medical Examiner's Office said in a report.
Associate Medical Examiner Steven Cogswell listed the cause of Bryan's death as "drowning, with multiple blunt force injuries due to an alligator attack," Pallitto said.
The other two alligators trapped Friday were about 8 feet long, Pallitto said.
The carcasses were shipped to the Medical Examiner's Office, where their stomachs and teeth were examined.
