Newly released bodycam footage reveals aftermath of Florida alligator attack that left woman dead

A witness at the scene said he called first responders after seeing a body in the alligator's mouth

Body camera footage shows scene after deadly gator attack in Florida

Sabrina Peckham, 41, was killed by an alligator last September in Pinellas County. (Credit: FOX 13)

Officials in Florida have released new body camera footage that shows first responders at the scene of an alligator attack that left a woman dead in Pinellas County last year. 

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) was called to the scene last September and found the body of 41-year-old Sabrina Peckham. 

After the nearly 14-foot alligator was killed and cut open, some of Pekham's remains were found inside the prehistoric predator. 

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Stills of the alligator after the attack

Officials in Florida released new body camera footage that shows first responders at the scene of an alligator attack that left a woman dead in Pinellas County last year.  (FOX 13/Florida Fish and Wildlife)

Peckham had been living as a transient near a canal where the gator was later found by officials, the FWC said in a report, according to FOX 13.

The video from FWC shows officials wrangling the gator with rope and chains, then the shot that "humanely" killed it can be heard. 

After Peckham's death, her daughter, Breauna Dorris, took to Facebook to share her grief.

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"The past 24 hours have been filled with grief and sorrow and unbearable pain for our family," Dorris wrote. "My mother, Sabrina Peckham, was the victim of the alligator attack at McCay Creek. My mother was a part of the homeless population that lived in the nearby wooded area. 

"It is believed that she may have been walking to or from her camp site near the creek in the dark and the alligator attacked from the water."

An official trying to get the gator out of the canal

Officials wrangled the gator out of the canal before "humanely" killing it.  (FOX 13/Florida Fish and Wildlife)

She also later spoke to FOX 13 at a vigil for Peckham. 

"It's surreal, but I'm super grateful her community can pull together in time like this," Dorris said. "It shows we have an amazing support team behind us in times of tragedy."

FWC officials said that alligators sometimes use the creek to go between Ridgecrest Lake and Taylor Lake. Fencing and signs have since been put up there to deter people from getting too close to the canal. 

Dead alligator on the ground

The alligator was measured to be nearly 14 feet long.  (FOX 13/Florida Fish and Wildlife)

A witness told FOX 13 at the time that he called first responders after he saw her body.

"I noticed it had a body in its mouth, like a lower torso, so once I saw that, I ran straight to the fire department and got them, they confirmed it was a body," Jamarcus Bullard said. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the FWC for comment. 

Authored by Brie Stimson via FoxNews June 15th 2024