Posted on 08/20/2018 12:00:22 PM PDT by Gamecock
A woman was killed after authorities said she was “attacked” Monday morning by an alligator near a lagoon at a Hilton Head Island resort community.
The woman was observed by security staff via surveillance footage in Sea Pines Plantation being apparently attacked by an alligator, said Capt. Robert McCullough, spokesman for S.C. Department of Natural Resources.
Cassandra Cline, 45, was identified as the deceased, according to Beaufort County authorities. A forensic autopsy will be conducted at Medical University in coming days to determine Cline’s cause of death.
Cline was walking her dog by a lagoon near Wood Duck Road when she was attacked and pulled beneath the water’s surface by the alligator, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. Cline’s body was found inside the lagoon. The dog, whom Cline was trying to protect, reported the Associated Press, was not injured.
The roughly 8-foot-long alligator believed to be involved was captured by 11 a.m. and euthanized, McCullough said.
Fatal alligator-related incidents are particularly rare in South Carolina, as Cline is the second individual in the state’s history to die by alligator. Although the attacks are not common, DNR officials say that potential prey are most vulnerable to an attack” while either in bodies of water or at the edge of the water. But the incidents are not special to areas nearest water as the gators have also been known to “occasionally make forays over land in search of new habitat, mates, or prey.”
The Beaufort County Coroner’s Office, along with the sheriff’s office and DNR officials, remained on the scene Monday as of 11:20 a.m., the coroner’s office said. The incident was reported around 9:30 a.m.
Sea Pines Living published a post on Facebook alerting residents and property owners to the incident.
“Sea Pines CSA is actively working with local authorities to ensure necessary access to the site while the investigation is underway. At this time, little information is available about the individual or incident,” the post reads. “We are extremely saddened by this news and will share information with the community as it is made available.”
According to DNR, “alligators usually are not aggressive toward humans (and) unprovoked attacks by alligators smaller than 5 feet are rare...”
DNR officials also noted that single bites are usually made by alligators less than 8 feet long, with most incidents occurring in Florida.
South Carolina’s first-recorded alligator-related fatality was in July 2016 when an elderly West Ashley woman was attacked by a gator at the assisted-living facility, Brookdale Charleston, where she lived.
This story will be updated.
Ping
At least the dog is safe?
https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3680703/posts
Earlier thread - but yours has some updated info.
Effin dinosaurs should be hunted to extinction.
Dang! The ONE time you want to own a pit bull, so you would have time to run away while the gator is distracred while eating your dog.
“Cline was walking her dog by a lagoon near Wood Duck Road when she was attacked and pulled beneath the water’s surface by the alligator, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. Cline’s body was found inside the lagoon. The dog, whom Cline was trying to protect, reported the Associated Press, was not injured.”
Harsh penalty to pay for being an idiot and putting herself and dog in harms way. If not the alligator there are also poisonous snakes that could have nailed her and/or dog.
Me to.
It sounds like a case of a Pitt Bull Gator.
Probly cuz the cops didn’t show up right away to shoot the dog thinking it provoked the ‘gator into chomping on the lady.
Shsssh. The Pit Bull haters will expand their Jihad to include gators and all manor of snakes and other reptiles. Don't feed the haters.
Gators usually drown their larger prey, then wait a few days for decomposition to make it easier to dismember their meal.
A nasty way to go. Prayers up for her family and friends to be comforted.
South Carolina Ping 
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“A forensic autopsy will be conducted at Medical University in coming days to determine Cline’s cause of death.”
“Gators usually drown their larger prey, then wait a few days for decomposition to make it easier to dismember their meal.”
“Gators usually drown their larger prey, then wait a few days for decomposition to make it easier to dismember their meal.”
A neighbor reported seeing the body and it looked like it was unharmed.
My daughter is a manager at a resort on Hilton Head. One of her co-workers lives on that street and she was very upset today.
Oh come on. She was walking on a path at Hilton Head. Of course there could be snakes or gators that cause trouble but the main trouble on Hilton Head is health problems caused by a sedentary life. I walk past moccasin and gator infested waters constantly. What other option is there?...be an indoor weenie?
In this case, yes...she would still be alive. How cam you miss an alligator if you are not near water’s edge and it’s on land?
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