On May 6, 2025, Florida woman Cynthia Diekema was canoeing with her husband on Lake Kissimmee, near the mouth of Tiger Creek. They passed an alligator in water that was around 30 inches deep. The gator thrashed, tipping the 14-foot canoe over. Both Cynthia and her husband ended up in the lake.
Unfortunately, Cynthia, 61, landed on top of the alligator and the reptile bit her and dragged her from the area near the canoe. While both Cynthia and her husband entered the water together, only one of them came out alive.
Cynthia’s husband tried to step in.
Cynthia’s husband tried to come to her rescue but to no avail, Fox 13 reports. Later, the Polk County Sheriff’s office used a helicopter to locate her body. Officials from the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission retrieved her body from the lake. Members of the commission said they do not believe the alligator attack was predatory.
Alligator attacks that end in death are rare.
While the FWC doesn’t believe the alligator was behaving aggressively, a nuisance alligator trapper still reported to the scene, under the commission’s request, the Daily Mail reports. The program is designed to remove alligators that pose a threat to people, pets, or property in a community. According to Roger Young, executive director of the FWC, it’s not a resource it has to frequently employ.
“While alligator attacks resulting in fatalities are extremely rare, this tragedy serves as a somber reminder of the powerful wildlife that share our natural spaces,” Young said.
The commission trapped two different gators.
Two days after the attack, trappers found a gator that matched the description of the one that attacked Cynthia earlier in the day. They recovered the alligator, which was 11 feet, 4 inches long. They also recovered another 10- or 11-foot gator. The incident is still under investigation. It’s one among a string of recent alligator attacks. Last year, an 84-year-old woman was hospitalized after an alligator bit chunks out of her leg and fingers as she walked her dog.
The FWC released safety tips.
In 2024, Sabrina Peckham, who was unhoused at the time, was killed and then eaten by a 14-foot alligator. When officials found the reptile, it was still bloated from the attack. In response to the uptick in alligators confronting humans, the FWC issued some safety tips.
- Be aware of the possible presence of alligators in the area.
- Closely monitor children playing around water.
- Don’t swim outside of posted areas.
- Swim during the daylight as alligators are most active from dusk to dawn.
- If you’re being attacked, fight back; hitting or kicking the alligator or poking it in its eyes may cause it to release its grip.
