Woman's body recovered from pond but no evidence of gator attack: Officials

A woman's body was recovered from an alligator-infested pond in Orlando, Florida, this morning, about 24 hours after a witness called 911 to report a person failing in the water and screaming "it bit me," officials said.

The body of the unidentified woman described as being in her 20s was discovered in a retention pond by Orange County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit officers about 7:30 a.m., said Jeff Williamson, a sheriff's office spokesman.

Williamson said no bite marks or any other evidence that the woman had been attacked by an alligator were found on her body, leading investigators to believe she possibly drowned.

The sheriff's office had not received a missing-person report matching the description of the woman and Williamson said she might have been homeless. He said clothing was found on the bank and investigators are trying to determine if they belong to the woman.

"We have some idea of who we think it may be," Williamson said during a news conference this morning. "It may take a few hours to confirm that."

Authorities launched a search on Wednesday after Eric Wolfe, whose fenced-in backyard abuts the pond, called 911 to report seeing a person in apparent distress in the water.

Wolfe told ABC station WFTV in Orlando that the person, who he initially thought was a teenage boy, "was just kind of fighting to stay above" the waterline and then sank and disappeared.

"The only thing I could hear was 'Something bit me!' and then screaming," Wolfe said.

Wolfe said he had seen at least four alligators in the pond in recent days, including a bull gator about seven or eight feet long.

About 50 members of the sheriff's office, including Marine Unit deputies and divers, searched the 6 to 8 feet deep pond for hours on Wednesday. The search was suspended due to darkness Wednesday night.

The body was discovered shortly after the search resumed this morning.