In one of the most horrifying stories of the year, a Florida burglar was killed and eaten by an 11-foot alligator as he lay in hiding from the police.
The suspected burglar, 22-year-old Matthew Riggins had informed his girlfriend he would be out at night on Nov 13 committing robberies with a friend. You know, just a normal night out on the town.
A few hours later she received a call saying he was going to lay low. Apparently laying low meant getting in the water or near the banks of the water in Barefoot Bay in Brevard County, Florida.
Authorities said they received calls of a burglary the night Higgins went missing. But it was 10 days later when his body finally emerged from the bay with an alligator guarding it nearby.
The gator, which was reportedly aggressive toward recovery divers, was euthanized and the young man’s body parts were later recovered from the animal internally, according to a press release by the Brevard County Sheriff. One report said they recovered a hand and foot.
It’s a crazy story that should have any would-be burglar, or hide-and-seek participant for that matter, thinking twice about taking refuge near a Florida waterway.
This is not the first time a person has been attacked and killed by an alligator in the Sunshine State. Earlier this year, a man who mocked local warnings against swimming was attacked and killed by an alligator.
Photo credit: Brevard County Sheriff Department
