UPDATED July 20, 10:00 a.m. ET:
Melissa and I continue to deal with the loss of our beloved boy, Lane, and are overwhelmed with the support and love we have received from family and friends in our community as well as from around the country. We understand the public’s interest, but as we move forward this weekend, we ask for and appreciate the privacy we need to lay our son to rest. Neither Melissa, myself or anyone from our family will be speaking publicly; we simply cannot at this time.
UPDATE 06/18/16 p.m. ET: Lane Graves' parents have issued a statement on the passing of their son via St. Patrick’s Catholic Church:
UPDATE 06/16/16 6:50 p.m. EST: An autopsy on the child revealed his cause of death was a combination of drowning and traumatic injury.
Statement from Disney Chairman and CEO, Bob Iger pic.twitter.com/q4Or8G1DG5
UPDATE 06/16/16 2:47 p.m. EST: Disney World has issued a new statement, revealing that all beaches are currently closed and that a "swift and thorough" review is currently underway:
UPDATE 8:54 p.m. EST: Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger has issued a statement regarding the incident.
UPDATE 5:01 p.m. EST: The first photo of the boy killed by a gator at Disney has been released.
UPDATE 4:01 p.m. EST: Officials have now recovered the body of the two-year-old boy, sources tellCNN's Dianne Gallagher.
UPDATE 12:32 p.m. EST:
Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said at a press conference Wednesday that the child captured by the alligator is most likely dead, according to CNN. He said the search team was "working on recovering the body."
UPDATE 11:15 a.m. EST:
Disney has closed all beaches at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa at Walt Disney World where the alligator attack took place, a Disney spokesperson told KTLA5 Wednesday morning.
UPDATE 9:48 a.m. EST:
A trap was placed in the Seven Seas Lagoon on Wednesday morning, and four alligators were caught and euthanized. But none appear to be the one that dragged the boy into the water, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Executive Director Nick Wiley said at a press conference. He added that instances of alligators attacking people were rare.
See below for original story.
Police are searching for a 2-year-old boy who was dragged into a lagoon by an alligator outside of a Disney hotel in Orlando late Tuesday night. The boy was reportedly playing near the Seven Seas Lagoon at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa at Walt Disney World when the alligator dragged him into the water. A search team was sent into the lagoon immediately to try and locate him, but as of Wednesday morning, the boy has still not been found.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, the boy's father jumped into the water to try and save him after the alligator dragged him into the lagoon, but he was unable to wrestle him away from the alligator, which was reportedly between four and seven feet long. The boy's mother also reportedly jumped into the water in search of the child. A search team consisting of about 50 people was then dispatched following the attack.
The boy's family is reportedly from Nebraska and was on vacation at Disney World. The Orange County Sheriff's Office provided an update about their search early Wednesday morning:
Walt Disney Company and the Orange County Sheriff's Office did not immediately return Complex's request for comment.
