In a chilling discovery, Houston police found human remains in the jaws of an alligator during a search for a missing woman. The incident, which occurred in the Horsepen Bayou area, has sparked a comprehensive investigation.
The woman, believed to be in her 60s, was reported missing by her husband after she failed to return from a walk on Monday evening. The search led to the grim find on Tuesday morning. "Patrol officers located the remains of a woman in the jaws of an alligator in the Horsepen Bayou … while searching the area for a woman reported missing," Houston police stated.
In a bid to prevent further damage to the remains, a sergeant fatally shot the alligator. The woman's body and the dead alligator were later recovered from the bayou by a police dive team. The identity of the woman and the cause of her death are pending verification by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
The incident has left local residents in shock. "That's the first time I've heard of that happening down here. It's a little scary," said Angela Derous, a local resident who is familiar with the alligators in the area. "We see 8 feet, 10 feet babies. I know which banks to stay away from and where they like to lay in the sun," she added.
This is not the first time alligators have been linked to human fatalities. Last year, the body of a 41-year-old woman was found in the jaws of a 13-foot alligator in Florida. In February 2023, an 85-year-old woman was killed by a 10-foot alligator while walking her dog in Florida. However, fatal alligator attacks are rare in Texas. The last recorded fatal attack in the state was in 2015 when a 28-year-old man was killed while swimming late at night in Southeast Texas.
While it remains unclear whether the woman was killed by the alligator or died of other causes, the Houston police homicide investigators have been assigned to the case. The police are urging anyone with information to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the potential dangers lurking in the bayous of Texas.
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