LAKE WALES, Fla. — Florida wildlife officials shot and killed the alligator responsible for the deadly attack of a 61-year-old Polk County woman back in May.
On May 6, 2025, a husband and wife were in a canoe at the mouth of Tiger Creek into Lake Kissimmee when they passed over an 11-foot, 4-inch alligator, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Major Evan Laskowski said at the time. The gator was only in about two-and-a-half feet of water.
An updated FWC report later revealed that the couple had seen several alligators while canoeing and that Cynthia Diekema, 61, warned her husband that they were about to pass over one…