Horror as two-year-old boy mauled to death by alligator at Disney World

Lane Graves was attacked by an alligator at Disney (Image: Orange County Sheriff's Department)

A family's dream holiday to Disney World descended into a nightmare when their two year old toddler was snatched by an alligator, with the father frantically attempting to rescue his child from its grip.

The body of Lane Graves was pulled from the depths of the lake in what was supposed to be paradise as his distraught parents watched helplessly, powerless to fight off the seven-foot predator in 2016.

Following an agonising 16-hour search and rescue mission involving scores of emergency personnel using sonar technology and helicopters, divers found and recovered the body of the two year old.

"There's no question in my mind that the child was drowned by the alligator," said Orange County sheriff Jerry Demings at a press conference. "It was a tough message to deliver to them. The family was distraught but somewhat relieved we were able to retrieve their son with his body intact."

The boy was snatched from the shoreline of the Seven Seas Lagoon, a man-made lake at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort, at approximately 9.30pm on Tuesday, June 14.

Lane Graves parents - his father tried to save him from the alligator (Image: Youtube)

The family, from Nebraska, had been staying at the resort since Sunday and were outdoors enjoying an evening of open-air cinema and fireworks displays.

Jeff Williamson, spokesman for the Orange County sheriff's office, explained that the family, including the boy's four year old sister, were positioned along the resort's lake shoreline, with the toddler wading at the water's edge whilst his parents remained close by.

"He was about a foot in, maybe ankle-deep or a little higher," Williamson explained. "There's a sign there that says no swimming. There's no indication he was doing that, but he was at the edge of the water and this freakish incident takes place in which a gator comes along and latches on to this poor child.

"The father was very close by. He heard what sounded like a splash, he turned, he thought the splash was something innocent, but of course there was nothing innocent. He saw his child in the mouth of the gator.

"He ran to get the child out of the gator's mouth and wrestled with the gator but was not successful. The gator was able to get the child away from the father and disappear into the water.

The alligator was estimated to be up to seven feet long (Image: Getty Images)

"It is tragic. It is heartbreaking. There's no other way to say it," he stated, noting the father had suffered minor cuts to his arms, and he understood the mother had also entered the water.

Demings confirmed Disney officials had done "everything they can to make the family comfortable during this ordeal" and a Catholic priest was in attendance when he delivered the devastating news to the parents.

A Disney spokesperson confirmed all resort beaches across the expansive property were closed "out of an abundance of caution" pending confirmation the alligator had been captured.

"We are devastated by this tragic accident," said Jacquee Wahler, director of communications for Walt Disney parks and resorts. "Our thoughts are with the family."

Wildlife authorities captured and euthanised five alligators from the lake overnight, though the boy remained missing, according to Nick Wiley, executive director of the Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission (FWC).

Wiley explained since the boy's body was found intact and close to where he was last seen: "There's a good chance we already have this alligator."

The extensive search operation deployed 50 personnel, vessels and helicopters from the FWC, sheriff's office and Reedy Creek fire department, Demings confirmed.

Wiley noted that whilst Florida is renowned for its alligators, a family from Nebraska may not have recognised the potential threat posed by the lake.

"This hotel has never had complaints of an alligator attack, or an alligator nuisance, whatsoever," he said. "This beach has been there for a very long time. We're treating this as an isolated incident."

Little Lane with his father before the tragedy (Image: Lane Thomas Foundation)

He suggested the warnings were insufficient regarding possible alligators, saying: "The sign says no swimming. There's no other sign."

Officials have confirmed this was the first alligator-related fatality at Disney in 45 years. "We work very closely with Disney to remove nuisance alligators as they're observed," said Wiley.

Wiley reassured alligator attacks on humans in Florida remain "very rare". He further advised: "We always caution people in Florida to be careful around water bodies, but millions of people enjoy Florida safely.

"It's not common at all, in fact it's very rare, for people to be attacked by alligators, in Florida or anywhere you find alligators," he affirmed. "We have alligators in all freshwater across Florida. They move around."