Missing South Carolina Man Possibly Killed By Alligator, Investigation Ongoing

A South Carolina man went missing from the Kiawah Island, Charleston County, and his body was discovered hours later in a pond Saturday. He was suspected to have been killed by an alligator.

Charleston County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Roger Antonio said the deputies were called to the scene after the unidentified individual went missing around 10 a.m. EDT. Since the man’s vehicle was still on the premises, the authorities began searching the immediate area with the help of K9s.

“A K9 track led deputies to the edge of a large pond behind the subject’s property. Due to the large size and irregular shape of the pond, deputies requested the Sheriff’s Office helicopter to canvass the area by air. Helicopter observers located what appeared to be a motionless person in the pond, out of sight from the residence,” a press release tweeted by sheriff’s office said.

The identity of the deceased was yet to be confirmed, pending an autopsy report from the Charleston County Coroner’s Office, although the police suspect it to be the missing man. The report will also determine the cause and manner of the man’s death, which the authorities have preliminarily attributed to alligator bite.

“The deceased had bite marks and wounds consistence in appearance with an alligator encounter. In light of this information, the Sheriff’s Office requested the SC [South Carolina] Department of Natural Resources to assist with the investigation,” the press release stated. It was not clear if the apparent alligator bites were sustained before or after the man’s death.

Kiawah Island Mayor Craig Weaver issued a statement regarding the incident, saying, "I am deeply saddened by this tragedy. Kiawah Island is a small community of well-acquainted friends and neighbors and this loss will be felt by the entire community. On behalf of myself and the Town, we extend our condolences to the family."

According to Post and Courier, human encounters with alligators were rare in Charleston, although the predatory reptiles could be sighted frequently around the area. If determined that the deceased in this case was killed by an alligator, it would be the second such death to take place in the last two years.

In August, an alligator killed Cassandra Cline, a 45-year-old New York kindergarten teacher, staying at a Hilton Head Island resort. She was walking her dog near a lagoon at the time. The reptile had surfaced from the waters in order to prey on the pet dog. Instead, it latched onto its leash and in an attempt to free her dog, Cline died after being pulled underwater.

After Saturday’s incident, the official Facebook page of the Town of Kiawah Island posted safety tips to avoid alligator bites.

“Most pond and lakes around the island have signage warning of the dangers of alligators but it’s important to remember that any pond or lake in the Lowcountry has the potential to have alligators in it. On Kiawah, the interaction between people and alligators is inevitable,” the post said.