Alligator found with body in mouth

A Florida resident was shocked Tuesday to see an alligator with a human body in its mouth, The Ledger reported.

When officers from the Lakeland Police Department arrived at Lake Hunter, the alligator was still holding the body in its teeth. But as cops approached, the alligator dropped the unidentified body on the banks of the lake and began to swim away.

Authorities were trying to keep the gator at bay while they recovered the body, WFLA reported.

Investigators are trying to determine the identity of the body and how the person died. It’s not clear if the alligator killed the victim, or picked up the body after it was already dead.

The 911 caller lived at the Florida Presbyterian Homes, a senior living community near the lake.

Lakeland is about 35 miles east of Tampa.