LAKE KISSIMMEE, Fla. (WKRC) – A fatal alligator attack claimed the life of 61-year-old Cynthia Diekema while she was canoeing with her husband, PEOPLE reported.
The couple’s canoe passed over an 11-foot, 4-inch alligator submerged in approximately 2.5 feet of water, causing them to fall into the water on May 6 near the mouth of Tiger Creek in Polk County. The alligator bit Diekema on the torso and performed a “death roll,” pulling her underwater, officials said. Despite her husband’s efforts to assist, Diekema was later found deceased, PEOPLE reported.
FWC Major Evan Laskowski confirmed that Diekema “ended up on top of the alligator in the water” as her husband attempted to intervene, PEOPLE reported. Authorities in the area, along with a contracted nuisance alligator trapper, responded to the scene and removed the reptile from the water…