A shocking discovery was made near Houston, Texas in the Horsepen Bayou area where the remains of a woman, presumed to be in her 60s, were found in the jaws of an alligator. The woman was reported missing after failing to return from a walk she had taken around 7:30 p.m. on May 27, 2024. Her remains were discovered by Houston police the following morning at approximately 8:40 a.m.
The Houston Police Department (HPD) had been actively searching for the woman when they stumbled upon the disturbing scene. The alligator was found chewing on the woman’s body along the banks of Horsepen Bayou near El Dorado and Park Estates. An HPD sergeant killed the alligator to stop any further damage to the body. The department’s dive team was then able to recover the remains. The investigation into the woman’s identity and the cause of her death is still in progress.
Alligators are not an uncommon sight in the bayou areas surrounding Houston, with locals frequently spotting these large reptiles. Angela Derous, a local resident, said, “We see alligators that are 8 to 10 feet long. I know which areas to avoid and where they usually bask in the sun. This is the first time I’ve heard of such an incident happening here. It’s quite unsettling.”
In the recovery operation, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) provided assistance to the HPD. “Our sympathies are with the woman’s family at this time,” expressed Maggie Berger, spokesperson for TPWD’s Law Enforcement Division.
It’s worth noting that alligator attacks are uncommon in Texas. According to the TPWD, the last fatal alligator attack in the state was reported in 2015 in Orange, Texas, where a 28-year-old man lost his life while swimming in Adams Bayou. This incident was the first fatal attack in the state in over 90 years.
Although alligators typically avoid human interactions, the chances of encounters increase as their population grows. The TPWD has stressed the importance of understanding how to coexist with these creatures safely. They advise not to swim during dusk, dawn, or at night when alligators are most active. They also recommend keeping pets on a leash near water bodies and refraining from feeding alligators, which can make them lose their instinctual fear of humans and become more aggressive.
As the investigation into the woman’s death continues, authorities are working to establish whether the alligator directly caused her death, or if she had already died from other causes when the alligator found her.