LARGO, Fla. — The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office identified the body found in a Largo waterway after a man spotted a large alligator.
The alligator was killed by wildlife officials after authorities say the body was found in a waterway Friday afternoon.
In an update Saturday evening, deputies identified the body as 41-year-old Sabrina Peckham.
The cause of death is still pending at this time, according to the medical examiner's officer.
The incident started around 1:50 p.m. when deputies arrived at the area of 134th Avenue North and 121st Street North after receiving a report of a body in the water, the sheriff's office said in a previous news release.
During their investigation, the sheriff's office says officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission killed and removed a 13-foot, 8.5-inch alligator from the waterway, while deputies recovered the remains.
"[The gator] lifted up out of the water with the body, and it was just clamped onto it," a neighbor who alerted authorities told 10 Tampa Bay. "And then it just swam backward under to like the bottom canal under me and it went on the other side.
"I just couldn't believe it was real."
Aerial video from Sky 10 showed law enforcement standing around the alligator. 10 Tampa Bay partially pixelated the image as it shows a large amount of blood on the ground.
The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with concerns about an alligator can call FWC's toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-392-4286.
