US: 10-foot alligator fatally attacks woman, then ‘guards’ her dead body

A South Carolina woman was attacked and killed by an alligator Tuesday morning while she was walking her dog near a golf course. The Beaufort county sheriff’s office said in a press briefing that the 69-year-old victim, identified as Holly Jenkins, was found unconscious in the Spanish Wells community of Hilton Head Island.

The body was found at the edge of a lagoon bordering a golf course. According to media reports, first responders initially struggled to reach the corpse as the alligator appeared to be “guarding” it. The body was later retrieved when the 10-foot alligator was safely removed from the site.

‘Alligator was guarding the dead body’

“A 69-year-old resident of the community was found at the edge of the lagoon and appeared to be unresponsive. Rescue efforts were started but an alligator appeared and was guarding the woman's body, interrupting the emergency attempts. The gator was safely removed from the area and the woman’s body was retrieved,” Beaufort County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

The police official said that the autopsy ofthe woman's bodywill be conducted on Wednesday. It was not clear whether the alligator attacked the woman outside of the lagoon or she was dragged into the water. “This is the second fatal alligator attack in Beaufort County in less than a year. On August 15, 2022, an 88-year-old Sun City woman was attacked by an alligator at a lagoon near her home,” the police official added.

Previous cases of alligator attacks

In a similar incident that happened in August 2022, an 88-year-old woman lost her life after slipping into a pond and being attacked by an alligator.

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The unfortunate incident took place while she was gardening in a senior community located in the vicinity of Bluffton. The alligator was seen guarding the dead body in a similar fashion.

Another incident occurred in May 2022 when a 58-year-old woman was viciously attacked by an alligator in a gated community. She had attempted to touch the animal when it seized her and dragged her into the water, resulting in severe injuries.

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