An alligator drowned a Florida man trying to hide from police - and then ate his remains.

Matthew Riggins, 22, was reported missing on November 13, shortly after he and another man had made a plan to rob houses in Barefoot Bay according to his girlfriend.

His body was found 10 days later floating in Barefoot Bay pond - closely guarded by an 11-foot alligator.

'He hid in the wrong place,' said local resident Laura Farris.

Win some, lose some: Matthew Riggins (left in an old mugshot) manged to hide from police on November 13 in Florida, but was not able to escape an 11-foot alligator (right) who drowned and then ate him

Bay News 9 reports that Riggins and his accomplice were spotted lurking behind homes by neighbors who called police the night of their alleged robberies.

Deputies arrived on the scene at around 2am on November 13 and began to look for the men, using K-9 units and even a helicopter to try and track the pair.

They both managed to evade authorities however, and Riggins even called his girlfriend during the chase to let her know what was happening and to tell her he was laying low.

Unfortunately, he decided to lay low near the edge of Barefoot Bay pond and was reported as missing by his family that same day.

'He probably went into the lake to hide from the officers and the dog, and came across that gator,' said Major Tod Goodyear of the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.

The alligator also met an untimely end on the day Riggins body was discovered as a trapper from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was forced to euthanize the reptile after it aggressively began approaching divers sent to recover Riggins corpse.

The trapper had been called to the scene after divers observed the severe trauma Riggins' body had suffered during the attack.

The medical examiner was able to confirm the alligator was responsible for killing Riggins after discovering his remains inside the alligator's stomach.

Like most alligator prey, Riggins was drowned before the animal began to eat the man.

'I would say it's poetic justice, you want to sit there and steal from people,' said Barefoot Bay resident Chuck Stotes.

The man who is believed to have been with Riggins that night has refused to cooperate with police and not been charged with a crime at this time.