Orange County Medical Examiner Determines Boy Died Due To Drowning, Trauma

Walt Disney World EVALUATING NEW SIGNS

ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA – The Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office has determined the cause of death of the 2-year-old boy who was grabbed by an alligator, and dragged into a lake at Walt Disney World, died due to drowning and traumatic injuries.

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said Wednesday that Lane Graves, who was on vacation with his family from Nebraska, was found after an extensive search Wednesday in the water not far from where he was attacked by an alligator the previous night.

Walt Disney World announced the company is reviewing the placement and wording of its warning signs.

“All of our beaches are currently closed and we are conducting a swift and thorough review of all of our processes and protocols,” according to Jacquee Wahler, Walt Disney World Resort Vice President.

Demings said the boy’s family is from Nebraska and they were on vacation with their three children. The family was relaxing on the shoreline of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa when the alligator attacked.

Demings said the father had entered the water and tried to grab the child from the reptile, but was unsuccessful. The parents quickly alerted a lifeguard that an alligator had attacked the boy.

The alligator was estimated to be four to seven feet long.

According to Nick Wiley, executive director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, at least five alligators had been trapped and euthanized for analysis as it wasn’t possible to examine the alligators without killing them first.

Orange County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Rose Silva said the initial report came in right before 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening.

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