Police capture an alligator in Florida

 

Police capture an alligator in Florida.

A woman's body was found in the jaws of a 13-foot Florida alligator.

The crocodile was captured and killed by the police.

A 13-foot (4-meter) alligator has been killed after it was spotted in Florida with the remains of a woman in its jaws, police said.

One witness told local media that he saw the alligator in the Largo Canal holding its lower torso in its mouth.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said the animal was killed and confirmed the remains of 41-year-old Sabrina Beckham were found in the waterway.

The investigation will determine the circumstances of the woman's death.

Deputies were called at 1:50 p.m. local time on Friday after a report of a body in the waterway, police said.

JaMarcus Pollard said he was walking to a job interview when he saw the alligator with what initially looked like a dummy in its mouth.

"I noticed a body in his mouth — like the lower part of the torso — so as soon as I saw that, I ran straight to the fire department," he told local Fox 13.

"This was my first time seeing a crocodile in real life, so I felt like it was pretty cool, but once I saw what it was, I was like, 'Is this like a mannequin?'

"He was pale and white."

"It was pinned on him, and he swam back to the bottom of the canal... I couldn't believe it was real," he said in another interview with 10 Tampa Bay.

Her family has set up a fundraising page for Ms Beckham, who said the woman was living in a homeless camp near the wooded area at the time of her death.

"It is believed she may have been walking to or from her campsite near the creek in the dark, and the alligator attacked from the water," Breonna Dorris, who said she was the victim's daughter, wrote on Facebook.

"No one deserves to die this way."

Authorities said the crocodile was humanely killed and removed from the waterway before a police dive team recovered Ms Beckham's remains.

News footage showed a huge alligator sprawled alongside a road surrounded by police and emergency vehicles.

The coroner's office has not yet determined the cause of death.

Nearby residents said they had seen small crocodiles in the area before, but not as large as the animal found in this case.

"It's crazy. My kids walk there all the time. So it's really scary. I've seen alligators four or five feet long but not this big," Jennifer Dean told 10 Tampa Bay.

Pollard added: "I'll buy myself a bike or take the bus to work. They have little gates, but one of them died."