Florida burglary suspect eaten by alligator after fleeing police

[jason73]

A 22-year-old man suspected of burglarizing homes in Florida was killed and partially eaten by an 11-foot (3.4 meters) alligator after he waded into a lake, apparently to avoid detection by law enforcement officers pursuing him, police said on Tuesday.

An autopsy on the man, Matthew Riggins of Palm Bay, determined that he drowned in November after an apparent alligator attack. A necropsy on the alligator revealed parts of the man’s body in the reptile’s stomach, according to a report released this week by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s deputies chased Riggins and another suspect with dogs and a helicopter on Nov. 13 after residents in the Barefoot Bay community reported two men walking behind houses, authorities said.

No suspects were caught that night. Riggins was reported missing by his family when he did not return home, according to the sheriff’s report. His body was found 10 days later floating in a lake, with an aggressive gator standing guard, sheriff’s Major Tod Goodyear said.

“I believe he was hiding,” Goodyear said of how Riggins ended up in the lake. “With the dogs out there, it’s not a bad idea to go into the water.”

Goodyear said Riggins had told his girlfriend by telephone that he would be burglarizing homes the evening of Nov. 13 and later told her he was being chased by deputies.

 

[check it]

guard gator don't play no games.

 

[IDOHARM]

 

[Chief]

 

[jason73]

 

[Psychotropic Wanderlust]

poor guy....but not too bright to jump into water in florida.

 

[member 3289]

Gator attacks are rare, especially on an adult male. Most alligators are simply not big enough to want to go through the hassle of trying to take down a grown man.

It's the same thing with cows. Wherever there are pastures next to canals, I've seen cows drinking from the water with gators visible.

Though you will occasionally see an alligator big enough to take on a man, most don't. They're not as big as Australian saltwater or Nile River crocodiles.

 

[HEATH VON DOOM]

They killed the gator cuz this guy was a fucking idiot? Hope the gator got his 72 virgins for jihading this mother fucker.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

 

[member 3289]

They killed the gator cuz this guy was a fucking idiot? Hope the gator got his 72 virgins for jihading this mother fucker

SOP for any gator that kills a human in Florida.

Btw - you can remove your Tapatalk signature in "settings"

 

[Leigh]

"With the dogs out there, it’s not a bad idea to go into the water.”

 

[Darqnezz]

 

[HEATH VON DOOM]

#gatorlivesmatter

nick diaz is my nut hugger

 

[Jesus X]

that is florida AF

 

[Jesus X]

 

[Darqnezz]

If I was a Fl. cop, I'd throw many a fool into alligator infested water.

 

[lookoutawhale]

 

[BeardOfKnowledge]

SOP for any gator that kills a human in Florida.

Is it for the purpose of dissecting the alligator? Otherwise, it's kind of stupid. It isn't often someone's eaten by a gator that the first thought to mind isn't "What a fucking moron."

 

[member 3289]

Is it for the purpose of dissecting the alligator? Otherwise, it's kind of stupid. It isn't often someone's eaten by a gator that the first thought to mind isn't "What a fucking moron."

I believe so, in the case of death.

Nuisance alligators (those over 4 feet long and that are deemed to pose a threat to people) are also typically killed, even if they haven't actually harmed anyone (yet).

This is why, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission:

Why does the FWC not relocate nuisance alligators in Florida?

Florida has a healthy and stable alligator population. We have about 1.3 million alligators in Florida. Alligators live in all 67 counties, and they inhabit all wild areas of Florida that can support them. The removal of nuisance alligators does not have a significant impact on our state's alligator population.

Relocated alligators often try to return to their capture site. They can create problems for people or other alligators along the way. If an alligator successfully returns, capturing it again would be necessary and likely more difficult the second time.

To avoid creating a problem at the release site, nuisance alligators would need to be relocated to remote areas where they would not encounter people. These remote areas already have healthy alligator populations, and the ones that already live there have established social structures. The introduction of a new alligator to these areas would likely cause fighting, possibly resulting in the death of a resident alligator or the introduced alligator.

 

[BeardOfKnowledge]

I believe so, in the case of death.

Nuisance alligators (those over 4 feet long and that are deemed to pose a threat to people) are also typically killed, even if they haven't actually harmed anyone (yet).

This is why, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission:

Why does the FWC not relocate nuisance alligators in Florida?

Florida has a healthy and stable alligator population. We have about 1.3 million alligators in Florida. Alligators live in all 67 counties, and they inhabit all wild areas of Florida that can support them. The removal of nuisance alligators does not have a significant impact on our state's alligator population.

Relocated alligators often try to return to their capture site. They can create problems for people or other alligators along the way. If an alligator successfully returns, capturing it again would be necessary and likely more difficult the second time.

To avoid creating a problem at the release site, nuisance alligators would need to be relocated to remote areas where they would not encounter people. These remote areas already have healthy alligator populations, and the ones that already live there have established social structures. The introduction of a new alligator to these areas would likely cause fighting, possibly resulting in the death of a resident alligator or the introduced alligator.

Any idea if they use the skins and meat? Or do they just kill them, and dump them?

 

[member 3289]

American Alligators used to be an endangered species in the US (the only place in the world in which they live), but after a very successful conservation program, they bounced back and are now classified as "least concern".

Besides having a fuck load of alligators, Florida also has the only US population of American crocodiles, all of them in South Florida because of the subtropical climate. They used to number around 200 and now number around 2,000, again thanks to conservation programs.

 

[BeardOfKnowledge]

American Alligators used to be an endangered species in the US (the only place in the world in which they live), but after a very successful conservation program, they bounced back and are now classified as "least concern".

Besides having a fuck load of alligators, Florida also has the only US population of American crocodiles, all of them in South Florida because of the subtropical climate. They used to number around 200 and now number around 2,000, again thanks to conservation programs.

I know that bit, no excuse to just throw them in a dumpster because they swam too close to a golf course.

 

[member 3289]

Any idea if they use the skins and meat? Or do they just kill them, and dump them?

The website says that once the alligators are caught, they are the property of the independent trappers who have a contract with the state and whose only source of income is the sale of the meat and hydes (the state doesn't pay them to remove the alligators, only lets them keep the animals once they catch them).

So the trappers can do whatever they want with them, but they wouldn't make any money if they dumped them.

It also mentions that occasionally the trappers sell them to zoos or farms (and they're not killed), but that this is rare.