In a horrifying discovery, the body of a missing woman was found in the jaws of an alligator in the Horsepen Bayou area near Houston, Texas. The woman, believed to be in her 60s, had gone for a walk at approximately 7:30 p.m. on May 27, 2024. Houston police located her remains the following morning around 8:40 a.m.
The Houston Police Department (HPD) was actively searching for the woman when they made the grim find. Officers found her remains along the banks of Horsepen Bayou near El Dorado and Park Estates. An HPD sergeant shot and killed the alligator to prevent further damage to the body, and the department’s dive team recovered the remains. The woman’s identity and cause of death are still under investigation.
Alligators frequently inhabit the bayou areas around Houston, with locals often spotting the large reptiles. Angela Derous, a resident, remarked, “We see alligators that are 8 to 10 feet long. I know which areas to avoid and where they usually bask in the sun. This is the first time I’ve heard of such an incident happening here. It’s quite unsettling.”
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) assisted HPD in the recovery operation. Maggie Berger, spokesperson for the TPWD’s Law Enforcement Division, expressed, “Our sympathies are with the woman’s family at this time.”
Alligator attacks are rare in Texas. The TPWD reports that the most recent fatal alligator attack in the state occurred in 2015 in Orange, Texas when a 28-year-old man was killed while swimming in Adams Bayou. This was the first fatal attack in over 90 years.
These reptiles typically avoid humans, but as their population increases, so do the chances of human encounters.
The TPWD emphasizes the importance of safely coexisting with alligators. They advise against swimming at night or dusk and dawn when alligators are most active. Additionally, keeping pets on a leash near water and not feeding alligators are crucial to avoiding dangerous encounters. Feeding alligators can cause them to lose their natural fear of humans and become more aggressive.
The investigation into the woman’s death is ongoing, with authorities working to determine whether the alligator played a direct role in her death or if she had died from other causes before the alligator found her.
