Update: Toddler grabbed by alligator at Disney’s Grand Floridian presumed dead

© Steven Liebman

The toddler snatched from the shores of the Seven Seas Lagoon Tuesday night is presumed dead, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said in a midday update Wednesday.

“There is no question we will lose the 2-year-old child,” Demings said during a news conference. “It’s now been
15 hours since the child has been taken into the water. We are working
on recovering the body of the child at this point.”

Demings later told the Washington Post that the search will continue until the 2-year-old boy’s body is recovered.

“We are going to continue to search until we find the body,” he told the Post. “Hopefully that will be today, but if it has to
extend beyond that, we will continue.”

As the search continues, Disney has closed all of its beaches and recreational marinas, as well as the ferry boats that typically shuttle guests between the parking lot and the Magic Kingdom. The theme parks remain open, with heightened security in the wake of the mass shooting at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub last weekend.

The toddler was snatched while wading in the shallows on the beach near the Grand Floridian Resort at about 9 p.m. Tuesday as his family relaxed nearby.

The boy’s parents both ran into the water to try to save him, but failed in spite of their “diligent” efforts, Demings said.

“They are very shaken up, extremely shaken up,” sheriff’s office spokesman Jeff Williamson told reporters. “Imagine if it were you? What would you be?”