Human arm found in alligator’s mouth at ‘Hungryland’ Florida preserve sparks homicide investigation

Divers and a sniper involved in hunt for body parts

Divers were involved in the search at Hungaryland (Martin County Sheriff’s Office / Facebook)

A homicide investigation has reportedly been launched in Florida following the discovery of a human arm inside an alligator’s mouth.

Police said on Thursday that detectives were deployed to an area of the Hungryland Wildlife Preserve, about 24 miles north of Palm Beach, after “human remains were discovered”.

Martin County Sheriff William Snyder told Newsweek that the human arm was found by a biologist from the Florida Fresh Water Game Commission (FWC), who was conducting a routine patrol of the 16,000 acre reserve.

“She noticed a medium-sized gator with a human arm in its mouth,” said Mr Snyder. “She called the law enforcement part of that state agency and they came out and spent all day looking.”

He added: “At nightfall, they did find human arm remains of a human being”.

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office meanwhile said in an update on Facebook on Thursday that the discovery was made “near the gator infested canal bank about three miles inside the park”, and advised residents not to visit the park, which was closed to the public.

“We did find another part of what we believe, and I’m waiting for the medical examiner to tell us, is another part of a human,” added Mr Snyder, of what was reportedly a leg.

“So that’s where we were yesterday morning, and we spent all day out there. Looking for a lot of remains after that second finding, we haven’t found anything,”

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office said a sniper was “keeping a watchful eye protecting the divers” who took part in the search along with its Criminal Investigations Detectives, Forensic Detectives and FWC Officers.

While the remains remain to be identified by a medical examiner, Mr Snyder added in his interview: “It’s overwhelming likelihood is it’s a homicide, and we are treating it as a homicide.”

“Now that we know something about the victim, there was no reason for him to have me out there,” he added. “He wasn’t camping, he wasn’t fishing. So if he was murdered, which we really do believe that’s the case, he was murdered out there, or he was taken out there and discarded.”

The FWC says the state is home to almost 1.3m alligators in Florida.

The Independent has approached the sheriff’s office for comment.