Body of Shizuka Matsuki Found After Likely Alligator Attack in Florida

Shizuka Matsuki was likely attacked by the massive reptile while walking her dog by a lake Friday.

The body of a Florida woman has been found after authorities captured a 12-foot alligator they believe likely attacked and killed her as she walked her dogs by a lake Friday.

Shizuka Matsuki's remains were found late Friday night, WSVN reported. The 47-year-old's arm was reportedly found inside a gator that was pulled from the water where she disappeared earlier that morning. 

The gator was trapped and removed from a lake in the Silver Lakes Rotary Nature Park in Davie, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission said.

That's when human remains were found inside the gator, authorities said. 

"After an initial necropsy, evidence was found that indicates that the victim of this incident was bitten by the alligator that was captured earlier today," FWC spokesman Robert Klepper said. 

Subsequent search efforts led to the discovery of her body.

A witness had seen the woman walking her dogs near the water. He later saw the pets at the water's edge without their owner, so he contacted authorities.

"Her dogs won't leave the pond," Davie Police Maj. Dale Engle told the Sun Sentinel. "One of her dogs got bit by the gator."

The park, which is surrounded by homes and is popular for picnics and dog-walking, was closed following the incident.

While alligator attacks are uncommon, they are not unheard of. Between 1948 and 2017, 401 people were bitten by alligators, including 24 fatalities, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission data.

In 2016, a 2-year-old boy, Lane Graves, was snatched by a gator as he played at a Disney World resort.

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