Woman killed by alligator while boating with husband on Florida’s Lake Kissimmee

Her husband attempted to intervene was but unsuccessful, officials said. He last saw his wife as the gator dragged her under the water.

A 61-year-old woman was killed by an alligator Tuesday afternoon while boating with her husband near a popular state park in central Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

The attack occurred in the afternoon at the mouth of Tiger Creek where it feeds into Lake Kissimmee, roughly 70 miles south of Orlando. FWC officials said Cynthia Diekema was killed after the canoe she was riding in with her husband passed over an alligator hidden beneath them in roughly 2.5 feet of water.

"This is not believed to be a predatory incident, but simply a defense incident where they came upon the alligator beneath the water's edge and when the canoe struck it, it caused a reaction," FWC Maj. Evan Laskowski said during a news conference on Wednesday.

Diekema was sitting in the bow of the canoe, when the alligator thrashed and tipped the boat over. "She ended up on top of the alligator in the water and was bitten. Her husband attempted to intervene was but unsuccessful," Laskowski said.

He last saw his wife as the gator dragged her under the water. She was not seen again until her body was recovered nearby. Her husband was reportedly uninjured.

A contracted trapper has captured two alligators near Lake Kissimmee since the attack. According to Laskowski, the first alligator—measuring 11 feet, 4 inches—matched the description given by the survivor. A second gator, estimated to be between 10 and 11 feet long, was also captured and euthanized.

While fatal alligator attacks are rare, this marks the second serious gator incident near Lake Kissimmee in recent months. In March, a kayaker survived an attack on a canal connecting Tiger Lake to Lake Kissimmee. According to the FWC, there are about 1.3 million alligators in Florida. The state typically has between 10 and 20 alligator-related incidents annually, only a small fraction of which result in death.

Since 1948, the FWC has documented more than 450 unprovoked alligator attacks on humans in Florida, about 30 of which have been fatal.

Officials remind the public never to feed alligators, always keep pets and small children away from the water’s edge and avoid swimming outside designated areas—especially during dawn and dusk when alligators are most active.

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