Woman's body found in pond; no signs of alligator attack

UPDATES:

10:12 a.m.: Sheriff's Office said it is working to identify the woman.

9:38 a.m.: The agency said it is possible the person was homeless.

9:30 a.m.: Orange County Sheriff's Office reported the body of a female was found in the retention pond. There are no signs of any marks from alligators or other wildlife on the body of a dark-skinned female found floating in the pond.

The body was found about 50 yards from shore at 6:30 a.m. Investigators are at the scene.

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ORLANDO — Crews in Central Florida have found a body in an alligator-infested pond where a witness says a teenager yelled “it bit me, it bit me,” before disappearing under water.

Orange County Sheriff’s spokesman Jeff Williamson said in a Thursday morning email a marine unit found the body.

More: Trappers capture 12-foot alligator on south Indian River County beach Sunday night

More: 5-foot-long alligator wrestled from pipe in Indiantown

Eric Wolfe told 911 dispatchers Wednesday he saw a teen flailing his arms in the water and screaming before going under about 20 yards from shore.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Orange County Fire Rescue and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office took part in the search.

Williamson said no teens in the area had been reported missing.

No further details were immediately available.

Alligators and the Treasure Coast

Alligators are no strangers to the Treasure Coast.

Indian River County resident Scott Lahodik was just doing his job — scuba diving for golf balls — when a 10-foot alligator unexpectedly latched onto his arm in July 2017.

Miraculously, the 51-year-old Marine Corps veteran survived the alligator's "death roll."

Lahodik had the presence of mind to go limp, to make the alligator think he had died, but the animal didn't loosen its grip.

"I started punching him up by the eye, and then he let go," Lahodik said.

More: Vero Lake Estates golf ball diver survives alligator attack | Videos

In October 2017, trappers captured a 12-foot alligator on a beach near The Moorings in Indian River County.

More: Trappers capture 12-foot alligator on south Indian River County beach Sunday night

"There's a ton of alligators in the river that people don't know about," Justin Morrison said.

Morrison has been hunting alligators for more than a decade and trapping nuisance alligators for more than a year.

"But alligators that size, they're not usually in neighborhoods or off the beach."

This story will be updated.