CHARLESTON, S.C. — A 90-year-old woman was found dead in a pond after she went missing from her nursing home in what is believed to be the first-ever fatal alligator attack in South Carolina history, according to officials.
Investigators said they believe Bonnie Walker slipped or fell into the pond, and then the alligator attacked her, according to The Post and Courier.
“It’s the first one as far as we’ve been keeping records,” Robert McCullough, a spokesman for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources told the paper.
Her body was discovered in a pond behind the West Ashley assisted-living facility, where she lived. An autopsy found the cause of death to be multiple sharp and blunt force trauma injuries.
Walker’s body was found several hours after she went missing Wednesday.
The alligator was later removed from the pond near the nursing home.
It’s still not clear how Walker left the facility by herself. No one from the facility returned calls for comment on the her death.
