Searchers recover body of toddler dragged into water by alligator at Disney resort near Orlando

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — On the third day of their summer vacation at the most magical place on earth, the family of four from Nebraska decided Tuesday night would be one to relax.

They sank into the white sandy beach that stretches along Disney's luxe Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, one of the features this particular hotel uses to entice its high-end guests, and watched their 2-year-old son wade ankle-deep into the man-made lake known by vacationers as Seven Seas Lagoon.

It was just after 9 p.m.

The sun had already set.

The boy was just a foot beyond the sand.

Then the alligator attacked.

Right before them, the parents watched the beast grab their son and drag him deeper into the water, officials said at a press conference early Wednesday morning. The father, who was not identified, rushed in and grabbed desperately for his son. His hand was cut, but he did not win.

The boy's body was found Wednesday afternoon, ending a desperate search that lasted more than 18 hours.

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said the body was recovered at about 3:30 p.m. and while a formal identification is pending, "there is no reason to believe that the body that was recovered is not that of" the toddler.

Authorities did not release the name of the child or the child's parents.

Witnesses nearby when the alligator snatched the boy gave law enforcement "detailed" information about what happened, but Demings did not tell reporters what they said.

One witness then dialed 911 at 9:16 p.m., Demings said. The mother and father, who at different points both ran into the water after the child, shouted for the help of a nearby lifeguard.

"The parents diligently tried to get the child," Demings said.

Demings said that, according to witnesses, the family had set up a baby pen about 20 to 30 yards from the water on the sand, reported CNN. With the parents and 2-year-old boy was a daughter, who is four, the network reported. A witness told CNN a movie was being screened on the beach Tuesday night.

There were no other people in the water at the time of the attack, according to authorities. Signs posted near the lake warn against swimming in it, reported the Orlando Sentinel, but there were no signs warning of alligators. The sheriff said there had been no recent reports of any nuisance alligators in the area, but questions about their presence in the lake will be part of the ongoing investigation.

The gator that got the child, Deming said, was reported to be somewhere between 4 and 7 feet in length.

The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa is nestled among Disney's sprawling complex, positioned just south of the Magic Kingdom theme park in the Orlando area. It stretches along the west side of the Seven Seas Lagoon, a man-made lake that park visitors cross on ferries in route to the Magic Kingdom.

"Victorian elegance meets modern sophistication at this lavish bayside Resort hotel," reads the Grand Floridian description online. "Relax in the sumptuous lobby as the live orchestra plays ragtime, jazz and popular Disney tunes. Bask on the white-sand beach, indulge in a luxurious massage and watch the fireworks light up the sky over Cinderella Castle."

Demings told reporters that, according to records, this was the first alligator attack at Disney.

"Everyone here at the Walt Disney World resort is devastated by this tragic accident," a Disney official told reporters. "Our thoughts are with the family. We are helping the family and doing everything we can to assist law enforcement."

A.J. Jain and his wife, resort guests from Georgia, were on the same beach with friends near the scene of the attack Tuesday night, reported the Orlando Sentinel.

"I'm just here to say a prayer," Jain said. "I can't imagine what those parents are going through. It's been one tough week in Orlando."

Alligators are common in lakes in Central Florida, but attacks are relatively rare. In 2015, the area had its first reported fatal alligator attack since 2007. The body of a swimmer, James Okkerse, 61, of DeBary, Florida, was pulled from a lake in Volusia County, north of Orlando, and he was determined to have been attacked by a 12-foot alligator that was later shot and killed.

The county medical examiner found that the death of Okkerse, who had disappeared while swimming in Blue Spring State Park, was consistent with an alligator attack.

That same year, a 22-year-old man who law enforcement officials said was trying to avoid capture during a burglary, was killed by an 11-foot alligator in Brevard County, east of Orlando. The man, Matthew Riggins, had drowned, the Brevard County Sheriff's Office said, and his body showed signs of having been mauled. Divers from the sheriff's office encountered an aggressive alligator that was trapped and killed.

In early June, the body of a homeless man was discovered in the mouth of an alligator near Lakeland, Florida. It wasn't known if the man was killed by the animal or had died beforehand.

This attack is the third tragedy to strike the Orlando area in less than a week. Last Friday, 22-year-old Christina Grimmie, a former finalist on NBC's "The Voice," was shot and killed by a deranged fan while signing autographs after a concert in the city. Less than 48 hours later, 49 people were massacred and 53 were injured inside an Orlando gay nightclub in the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

"We're doing our best to deal with all of the situations we have going on here," Demings told reporters Wednesday. "Our staff is very resilient, and tonight they're very focused, if you will, on assisting this family."

The New York Times contributed to this story.