A body found inside the jaws of an alligator near a residential street in Florida has been identified as Sabrina Peckham, who was 41 and homeless.
Residents in the community of Largo say they now fear walking the streets after the massive 14-foot gator was spotted in a canal on Saturday.
The disturbing incident occurred two months after she was caught trespassing on wetlands just half a mile from where she was found dead, according to official court documents cited by the New York Post.
Peckman – who had a history of trespassing – is said to have ignored warning signs to enter the area at around 6.30am on July 14.
She pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor and was ordered to pay $500 upon being released on September 8.
Her tragic fate was discovered by local JaMarcus Bullard, who was on his way to a job interview when he spotted the enormous gator in a canal with what looked like a mannequin.
It quickly dawned on Bullard that the reptile was actually clenching a human torso, and he ran to the nearby fire department to report what he’d seen.
“I threw a rock at the gator, just to see if it was really a gator and it was…it was holding onto the lower part of the torso then just pulled it underwater,” Bullard told NBC.
Authorities then shot the beast before dragging it out of the water using specialist equipment.
It measured at just under 14 feet and was found close to Ridgecrest Park, known to be home to a population of alligators.
While rare, at least four people were killed by alligator attacks in the US in 2022. (Express)