A Louisiana woman told police that she watched helplessly as an alligator attacked her husband who went missing after she went to seek help.
The horrific scene unfolded in Slidell, a town northeast of New Orleans near Lake Pontchartrain, on Monday.
Police said that they were called to the scene of the attack by the victim’s wife who was hindered by problems with the 911 emergency system caused by Hurricane Ida.
The 71-year-old unidentified man had gone out of his shed to get tools in order to work on damage from the hurricane when he was attacked by the alligator in the surging floodwaters.
“She was inside when he went downstairs, she heard the commotion, she opened up the backdoor and saw that he was getting attacked by the alligator,” said St. Tammany Parish Capt. Lance Vitter to KHOU-TV.
WGNO-TV reported that she was forced to watch as the alligator ripped the man’s arm off of his body.
“She went down the steps and tried to do her best to fend off the alligator,” he added. “When the alligator released the gentleman, she pulled him up the steps a little bit, went upstairs to get some items to render aid.”
The woman was forced to use a boat to go get help because the hurricane had knocked out cellphone service in that area.
“When deputies got out here they noticed that there was a large amount of blood, and then learned from his spouse that the gentleman, the body, was no longer present,” said Vitter.
Neighbors told KHOU that it wasn’t rare to see 7 to 8 foot alligators in the area, which is near a federal wildlife refuge. They also said that alligators are familiar in the area because they are often fed by people.
Police believe the man was killed but they were unable to locate any body despite a 6 hour search of the area.
Here’s more about the tragic story:
Man, 70, attacked by gator while wading through floodwaters at his Slidell home
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