Sad news out of the Bluffton/Hilton Head area today. A woman was killed in an apparent alligator attack in Sun City on Monday morning, BCSD officials said. The large, 9 foot 8 inch alligator was spotted near the edge of a pond in Sun City Hilton Head, “guarding what was believed to be a person,” the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said.
Responders found the gator and a dead person, the sheriff’s office said. The victim has been identified by officials as an 88 year old Sun City resident who was believed to be doing some gardening and possibly slipped into the water.
The gator was captured and euthanized.
Here is the official release by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office:
“At approximately 11:15 a.m., today, August 15, 2022, Beaufort County deputies, Bluffton Township Fire District, Beaufort County EMS and Sun City security personnel responded to a report of an alligator attack within Sun City.
Once on scene, emergency personnel located a deceased female, as well as an alligator.
The Beaufort County Coroner’s Office, as well as the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources also responded.
Around 1 p.m., the deceased was recovered and as of 3 p.m., personnel with SCDNR continue to work to locate and remove the alligator.
The investigation into this incident is being handled by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office.”
Alligators usually are not aggressive toward humans, but they are very dangerous. Unprovoked attacks by alligators smaller than 5 feet are rare, but unusual behavior does occur. Single bites usually are made by alligators that are less than 8 feet long.
Most bites occur in Florida, but attacks also have been documented in South Carolina, Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, and Alabama.
