Woman Killed by 8-Foot Alligator While Walking Dog on Hilton Head
“It appears the alligator went after her dog and she tried to protect it,” Chappalear said.
The dog was unharmed.
Blake Smith, 34, was leaving his house this morning when he saw police cars and firetrucks in the neighborhood.
“I waited for about 30 minutes, then I started hearing rumors about what happened down the road from here,” Smith told the newspaper. “It’s odd because this is the first time we’ve heard about an aggressive alligator around a human in the five years that we’ve been living here.”
Smith said that at times, alligators have been spotted in yards or pools, but Sea Pines quickly removed those animals.
“They do a good job. This is just a sad incident,” he said. “I have a young son, so it’s kind of concerning to see something like this could happen.”
Sea Pines said in a statement that it’s working with authorities “to ensure necessary access to the site while the investigation is underway.”
