Body of toddler attacked by alligator at Disney resort recovered

The Grand Floridian Resort near Disney World — (Image credit: CC by: mjmrandomness/Flickr)

Update Wednesday, 4:08 p.m.: CNN reports that the body of the toddler has been recovered. Our original post appears below.

The search is on for a toddler dragged into the water by an alligator near Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday night.

Spokeswoman Rose Silva said a 2-year-old child was dragged into the Seven Seas Lagoon at around 9:30 p.m. Rescuers have spent hours combing the lake for the boy, and Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said they hope to find the boy before daylight, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Demings said the boy and four members of his family were on the shoreline when the child was attacked by the alligator, estimated to be between four and seven feet long. His father went into the water and attempted to grab him, but he was unsuccessful and sustained scratches to his hands.

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The man-made lake does not have any signs warning about gators in the vicinity, but there are notices to stay out of the water, the Sentinel reports. The upscale Grand Floridian is one monorail stop away from the Magic Kingdom.

This post has been updated throughout.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.