Since the incident, trappers have caught and killed five gators, which they have

Meanwhile, Walt Disney World officials have closed all of the beaches at their lakefront properties


The search for a toddler who was snatched by an alligator at a Walt Disney World lake turned to a recovery effort on Wednesday, as police announced that there was no hope the boy could have survived.

The two-year-old boy - who has not been identified - was attacked while wading in about a foot of water outside the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Tuesday night. The Seven Seas Lagoon behind the upscale hotel is off limits to guests, and there are 'no swimming' signs posted nearby - but none of them warned about possible alligators in the water.

The boy's father witnessed the attack and ran into the water to save his son, but was unsuccessful in wrestling the boy from the four- to seven-foot gator, whose razor-sharp teeth left him with lacerations on his arms.

At an afternoon press conference, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said that rescue efforts had been called off and that emergency personnel are now only looking to recover the boy's body. Demings expressed his condolences for the family, and said that his team would be making every effort to find the boy's body soon so that they could have some closure.

Since the incident, more than 50 emergency personnel have been scouring the lake, searching for the boy by helicopter and in boats outfitted with sonar technology. Dive teams were also brought in to search underwater. Meanwhile, Walt Disney World resort officials closed all of the beaches at their resorts, and a spokesman says they are working with law enforcement in what they are describing as a 'tragic accident'.

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A two-year-old boy is presumed dead after he was snatched by a alligator at a Walt Disney World lake Tuesday night. Above, search crews combs the lake for the missing boy Wednesday morning

The two-year-old boy was wading in about a foot of water outside of the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa around 9:20pm when he was attacked by a four to seven-foot-long alligator. Above, sheriff's deputies search for the boy in a boat and by helicopter on Wednesday

Following the incident, Walt Disney World closed all of the beaches at their hotels. Above, a beach at the Polynesian Village hotel, which is located next door to the Grand Floridian (pictured across the water)

The boy's father raced into the water and tried to wrestle his son from the gator, but was not successful. Above, Cinderella's Castle at Magic Kingdom is seen in the background of the Seven Seas Lagoon on Wednesday

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings (pictured) said on Wednesday that there was no more hope the boy had survived the attack

The boy's father suffered lacerations to his arm trying to pry his son from the alligator's clenches. Above, law enforcement officials at the Seven Seas Lagoon on Wednesday

The Nebraska boy, his parents, and his two siblings were on a vacation to Walt Disney World. It's unclear whether they were staying at the Grand Floridian (pictured) Wednesday, one of the most expensive hotels at the resort

More than 50 people were brought in overnight to search for the boy by boat and by helicopter. Divers suited up and searched for the boy's body underwater, with emergency crews scouring the lake bed using sonar technology. Above, a search boat on Wednesday

Alligator trappers were brought in to hunt down the reptile responsible for the attack. So far, they have captured and killed five alligators, which they have determined is not the gator in question after dissection. Above, law enforcement on the scene on Wednesday

Alligators are a relatively common sight at the resort but are removed and relocated when they reach four feet and get too close to guest areas. In addition to the Grand Floridian, Disney's Polynesian Village resort is also located on the edge of the Seven Seas Lagoon. The lagoon itself is connected to the larger Bay Lake - home to Disney's Contemporary Resort and Wilderness Lodge hotel.

Since the incident, wildlife officer have trapped and killed five alligators in the lagoon, but none of them were the one that grabbed the boy.

It is not known if the child or his family are guests at the Grand Floridian. With standard rooms starting at $569 a night, the Victorian-style resort is one of the most expensive hotels at Disney World.

During the Wednesday afternoon press conference, Sheriff Demings and wildlife officials defended Disney, saying the company has worked with law enforcement to make sure that their properties are safe for guests by locating and removing dangerous indigenous creatures from the resort. In the resort's 45 year history, Demings says there hasn't been a single similar incident.

Earlier, Demings said the toddler, who was part of a family of five, arrived in Orlando on vacation from Nebraska on Sunday.

He told a news conference last night that the parents and their three children had been on the beach at the time of the attack.

At an afternoon press conference on Wednesday, law enforcement officials said the rescue operation had been called off since there's no hope the boy could have survived the attack. Above search boats in the Seven Seas Lagoon on Wednesday

The Orange County Sheriff said his deputies are working diligently to find the boy's body so that the family can have some closure. Above, an aerial view of the man-made lake on Wednesday

Sheriff Demings remained hopeful that they would locate the boy's body by the end of the day. Above, a search boat on Wednesday

In Disney's 45 years in Florida, Sheriff Demings says there has never been a similar incident. Above, divers work at the site on Wednesday

Sheriff's deputies are using sonar technology to sweep the floor of the man-made lake for signs of the boy's body or the gator. Above, a sheriff's search boat on Wednesday

A spokeswoman for Disney also spoke at an early plress conference, saying: 'Everyone here at Walt Disney World is devastated by this tragic accident

Chad Weber, with Florida Fish and Wildlife, said that the agency had sent alligator trappers to aid the operation. Officials are dissecting the creatures for signs of human remains

In 2015, three people were killed in alligator attacks in the U.S. - two of them in Florida, the other in Texas. Above, search efforts on Wednesday

Demings said: 'The father entered the water and tried to grab the child but he was not successful in doing so. I'm told that at some point, the mother also entered the water.'

The hotel was hosting a movie night on the beach, and the boy's parents had set up a play-pen just 20-30 yards away from the shoreline, witnesses said.

Later, as the boy played, he waded in about one foot of water with his mother and the alligator - believed to be anywhere between four and seven feet long - attacked.

'As they waded into the water along the lake's edge at the time, that's when the alligator attacked,' he said.

He added that the family alerted a nearby lifeguard but they were not able to save the boy. The father was left with scratches after the ordeal.

'We are not leaving until we recover the child,' Demings added, saying there were more than 50 law enforcement personnel who are actively searching the lake.

'The sad reality of it is it's been several hours and we're not likely going to recover a live body.'

An aerial image showing the spot on the beach where the two-year-old boy had been wading in the water before he was snatched by an alligator

The child had been paddling with his parents and four-year-old sister despite the 'no swimming' signs, pictured, which were posted nearby. However,the signs do not warn that alligators might be in the lagoon

Disney World's flagship resort, the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, is on the waterfront and a stop away from the Magic Kingdom on the monorail

The Seven Seas Lagoon is connected to another body of water, Bay Lake. Disney's Wilderness Lodge and other hotels are located on the shores of the lake

ALLIGATOR WARNING SIGNS POSTED AT HYATT RESORT JUST MILES FROM DISNEY'S SEVEN SEAS LAGOON The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, which neighbors the Walt Disney World resort, has signs warning of alligators in its lake Signs warning visitors to beware of alligators were previously posted at a tourist resort just miles from the Walt Disney World lagoon where the two-year-old boy disappeared. The clearly-marked signs, which say ‘No swimming,’ ‘Beware’ and ‘Please be aware of alligators in the lake,’ are located around the edge of the water at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando. Photos of the alligator warnings at the Hyatt resort were shared on the Disney fan website Mouse Steps, and the signs have been there for at least three years. The person who posted the photos online wrote: 'No swimming signs are very common at resorts here - I don't see many alligators in Orlando, but it's always a good idea to do any swimming in pools, not lakes.' The Hyatt resort neighbors Walt Disney World and has a lagoon similar to the one where Tuesday night’s attack occurred at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. There are hundreds of lagoons in the immediate area surrounding the two resorts, with many just a few hundred feet apart or linked by small streams. Grand Floridian Resort & Spa has ‘No swimming’ signs at its beach on the man-made Seven Seas Lagoon, but they carry no warning about alligators. The boy disappeared at the beach where the signs are posted. Visitors to the resort told TMZ they spotted an alligator in the same lagoon as recently as a few days ago. It was unclear whether the visitors had reported the sightings to resort staff. With a depth of approximately 15ft, the lagoon is used for boating activities and fishing, while a ferry service transports visitors to and from Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. The lake at Orlando's Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress is just miles from the Walt Disney World lagoon where the boy disappeared Advertisement

'As a father, as a grandfather, we are going to hope for the best in these circumstances but based on my 35 years of experience, we know that we have some challenges ahead,' he said.

Asked about the recent tragedies that have rocked Orlando in recent days, including the murder of singer Christina Grimmie after a concert and the massacre at Pulse nightclub that left 49 people dead at the hands of a lone gunman, Demings replied: 'Our staff are very resilient.'

'They are very focused, if you will, on assisting this family,' he added.

A spokeswoman for Disney also spoke at the earlier conference, saying: 'Everyone here at Walt Disney World is devastated by this tragic accident.

'Our thoughts are with the family. We are doing everything we can to help law enforcement.'

In a statement issued late on Tuesday night, Orange County Sheriff's Office's spokeswoman Rose Silva said the Sheriff's Office received a call about an emergency at the scene at 9:21pm.

Florida Fish and Wildlife, Reedy Creek Fire Rescue and the Sheriff's Office responded and a search and recovery operation for initiated.

Shortly afterwards, authorities were pictured sealing off the area with crime-scene tape and searching the water by helicopter and by boat.

Police sealed off the area where the boy was grabbed by the reptile and dragged into the Seven Seas Lagoon

The boy was dragged into the Seven Seas Lagoon near the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa around 9.20pm on Tuesday. Above, police officers and emergency teams at the scene

A two-year-old boy was dragged into the water by an alligator near a Disney World hotel in Orlando - despite his desperate father's attempts to wrestle his son from the reptile's jaws

Police officers search for a child who was reportedly being pulled into the water by an alligator near Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Orlando

Late on Tuesday night, a man named Christian wrote on Twitter: 'Just overheard a group talking about how the father was wrestling with the alligator. This just gets worse and worse.'

Guests were all asked to leave a hotel balcony overlooking the area by staff, he added.

A hotel spokesman declined to comment when approached by Daily Mail Online.

Christal Hayes, a reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, wrote on Twitter: 'A lot of the crowd says the boy was on a beach area along the Seven Seas Lagoon when he was dragged in. No eye witnesses, though.'

'I'm just here to say a prayer,' AJ Jain, 51, who is on holiday from Georgia, told Hayes.

'I can't imagine what those parents are going through. It's been one tough week in Orlando.'

The Grand Floridian Resort is one of three luxury hotels located along the lagoon's edge. It is a stop away from Magic Kingdom Park on the monorail line.

DOZENS OF ATTACKS BY ALLIGATORS ARE REPORTED IN FLORIDA EVERY YEAR Wildlife officials wrestle with an alligator and load it on to the back of a truck after it killed a swimmer in Florida last year Millions of alligators live in the 10 southern states of America with 1.3million alone in Florida. Since the 1940s officials in Florida have recorded attacks by alligators against humans, with around a dozen reported each year. There have been at least 41 unprovoked alligator attacks in Florida since 2010, according to the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission records. Last year there were three fatal alligator attacks, one in Texas and two in Florida. In November, Matthew Riggins, 22, was drowned by an alligator before being eaten while trying to hide from police. He was reported missing shortly after he and another man had made a plan to rob houses in Barefoot Bay according to his girlfriend. Both Matthew Riggins, left, and James Okkerse, right, where killed in alligators attacks in Florida last year His body was found 10 days later floating in Barefoot Bay pond - closely guarded by an 11-foot alligator. While a month beforehand, 61-year-old James Okkerse was the first fatality in an alligator attack since 2007. Mr Okkerse had been snorkelling with friends in Blue Spring State Park when he went missing. Several hours later his body was found near a 12-foot alligator that had previously been spotted and caused a swimming area at the park to close twice. Around 1.3million alligators live in Florida, with an average of a dozen attacks against humans recorded each year (file pic) Officials then decided to kill the animal because of the threat it posed to park guests. However, attacks by alligators are considered to be relatively rare as they generally shy away from humans. But if provoked, they are prone to attack as they can become defensive and aggressive. Advertisement

An aerial shot shows the scene over Disney World's flagship resort as authorities continue their search

Alligators are understood to be fairly common on Walt Disney World property as the resort lies in the middle of Florida's swamp land.

If alligators get larger than four feet in size, they are caught and relocated to an area close to the resort called Gator Alley.

But as alligators are often considered as shy creatures, they can be extremely hard to round-up and it is not unheard of for them to be spotted on golf courses at Walt Disney World.

According to the blog Hidden Mickeys, one guest was waterskiing on the Seven Seas Lagoon several years ago when he dove in to cool off.

When he asked the boat driver if there were any gators in the water, he replied 'Yep, we pulled an eight footer out last week!'

The guest was assured that they are generally timid and scared of boats and metal screening is installed before the shorelines to prevent any of them from getting into the swimming areas of the resorts.

It is also not the first time that an alligator has attacked a small child at the Disney World resort in Florida.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, then eight-year-old Paul Santamaria was bitten by a reptile at the Fort Wilderness hotel in 1986.

However, the boy from Bristol, New Hampshire, escaped without being seriously injured after his older sister managed to pull him from the creature's grip.

He was taken to hospital but only suffered cuts to his thigh, knee and leg.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, there have been 41 unprovoked alligator attacks in the state since 2010.

Authorities were pictured sealing off the beach area with crime-scene tape (above) after the attack Tuesday night in Orlando, Florida

One man said that there was a 'movie night' on the beach on Tuesday night, which is where the alligator may have attacked the toddler before dragging the child into the lagoon