Woman killed and “kept hostage” by a 9-foot alligator after she fell in pond

• 88-year-old Nancy A. Becker was found dead in a pond at her home in Sun City, South Carolina.
• An autopsy is being carried out to determine the cause of death.
• The huge reptile was eventually caught and euthanised after taking over two hours to find.

In a horrific alligator assault, a pensioner was sadly killed and “kept prisoner.”

Nancy A. Becker, 88, the deceased, was reportedly found dead in a pond at the gated community she was residing in at the time in Sun City, South Carolina, in the US.

Reports from local media suggest she had slipped into the pond while gardening, when she was then pounced upon by the alligator.

The Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston is currently conducting an autopsy to ascertain the cause of death.

Major Angela Viens, a spokesperson for the Beaufort County sheriff, said: “I don’t know what the right word would be, but I believe the alligator was effectively holding her hostage. It was protecting her and did not want anyone near it.”

Authorities discovered the body being protected by the enormous reptile, which was almost 9 feet long and was eventually caught and put to death.

The recovery of the body is estimated to have lasted more than two hours.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office responded to a complaint about a woman in the water at about 11:45 a.m. local time on August 15, the day Becker was killed.

About 55 people live in the Hilton Head Sun City, which is situated in an area known for its alligator population.

In the past three years, Sun City has had three attacks.

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Only the state of South Carolina is home to an estimated 100,000 alligators. Attacks are still quite uncommon despite this.

This year alone, two people have been murdered by alligators in the state; four people have been killed by alligators overall in 2022.

Around 25% of the wetlands along the US shoreline are in Beaufort County, where alligators love to seek their prey.

In 2018, an alligator pulled a tiny dog and its 45-year-old female owner into a pond by seizing the dog’s lead, resulting in the last fatality in the coastal county.

In 2020 South Carolina, a further person perished after getting too close to an alligator and attempting to touch it in spite of warnings about attacks and the danger of alligators.

Attacks by alligators are reported to rise throughout the summer when the animal’s “metabolism increases” and makes it more active.

Male American alligators have a maximum length of 10 to 15 feet and a maximum weight of 1,000 pounds.

They mostly consume fish and other wildlife found in their habitat, including turtles and snakes.

However, they are opportunists, and a hungry alligator will consume almost anything, even carrion, pets, and, in very rare circumstances, humans, according to National Geographic.

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