POLK COUNTY, Fla. – An alligator killed a 61-year-old woman who was canoeing Tuesday in Polk County’s Lake Kissimmee area, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Cynthia Diekema, of Davenport, was in a canoe with her husband when they fell into shallow water near the mouth of Tiger Creek, according to the FWC.
Diekema’s husband reported he tried to save her after the canoe drifted over the alligator and she landed on top of it, according to the FWC.
Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies were involved in the search after Diekema vanished.
State officers reported the recovery of Diekema’s remains and the trapping of two alligators during an investigation that remained ongoing Wednesday.