A 61-year-old woman was fatally attacked by an alligator while canoeing with her husband on Lake Kissimmee, Florida, on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, officials reported.

Cynthia Diekema from Davenport, Florida, and her husband were navigating a 14-foot canoe in water about two-and-a-half feet deep near the mouth of Tiger Creek leading into Lake Kissimmee. Their canoe passed over a large alligator, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

According to officials, the incident occurred at approximately 4:05 p.m. when the canoe frightened the alligator, causing it to react violently and overturn the vessel. Both Diekema and her husband ended up in the water, with Diekema unfortunately landing directly on the alligator.

The alligator immediately bit Diekema. Despite her husband’s efforts to intervene, he was unable to rescue her. A sheriff’s office radio transmission obtained by CBS affiliate WKMG captured the urgent moments following the attack.

“Gator grabbed her out of the canoe,” a sheriff’s deputy can be heard saying in the transmission. “He tried to fight the gator off. We’re at the last place he saw her. He left the paddle here where he last saw her at.”

Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and marine units arrived at the location to assist in the search for Diekema. Her body was later located by a sheriff’s office helicopter and retrieved by FWC officers on a boat.

FWC Major Evan Laskowski informed reporters that nuisance alligator trappers were sent to the area on Tuesday night. They captured two large alligators, including one measuring 11 feet, 4 inches, that matched the description of the alligator involved in the attack. A second alligator, about 10 to 11 feet long, was caught on Wednesday morning.

FWC Officer Bradley Johnson stated that investigators do not consider this a predatory attack. Johnson said it was viewed as “a defensive incident where they came upon the alligator beneath the water’s edge and when the canoe struck it, it caused a reaction,” according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Roger Young, executive director of the FWC, expressed condolences to Diekema’s friends and family. Young noted that while fatal alligator attacks are extremely rare, this serves as a reminder of the powerful wildlife sharing Florida’s natural environments.

Lake Kissimmee, covering roughly 35,000 acres across Polk and Osceola counties in central Florida, is noted for having one of the highest alligator populations in the state. The FWC estimates that around 1.3 million alligators are distributed across Florida’s 67 counties.

In March, another alligator incident occurred in the same area. A woman was bitten on the arm by an alligator while kayaking with a group, but that attack was not fatal.

Since 1948, there have been 487 unprovoked alligator bites on humans in Florida, with 339 classified as major bites and 27 resulting in fatalities.

A study by the University of Florida revealed that over 90% of recorded alligator incidents involved some form of human inattention or risk-taking before the attack.

The incident occurred during alligator mating season, which typically lasts from April through June. Although the FWC noted that alligators are not necessarily more aggressive during this time, they are more active, increasing the chances of human-alligator encounters.

Young mentioned that the FWC evaluates the alligator population annually and has recently increased the allotment for the statewide alligator hunt by 1,000 tags. Along with their Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program, the FWC has removed up to 15,000 alligators from the wild over the past year.

The FWC advises people to be aware of the potential presence of alligators when in or near freshwater or brackish water. They recommend swimming only in designated areas during daylight hours, supervising children near water, and never feeding or enticing alligators.

If someone encounters an alligator that they believe poses a threat to people, pets, or property, the FWC encourages them to contact their Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 1-866-FWC-GATOR (392-4286). The program dispatches contracted nuisance alligator trappers to remove alligators four feet or longer perceived to pose a threat.

Residents in Diekema’s Citrus Ridge 55-plus community expressed shock and sadness over the incident. “Such a sweet lady. Makes you realize none of us are promised tomorrow,” said neighbor Lynda Miller, who described Diekema as a kind and friendly presence in the community.