An alligator reportedly killed a Florida burglary suspect last month as the man was hiding from authorities.
The suspect, Matthew Riggins, was identified Monday.
"He probably went into the lake to hide from the officers and the dog, and came across that gator," said Maj. Tod Goodyear, of the Brevard County Sheriff's Office,
according to MyNews13.com.
"To hide somewhere to try and get away, and then meeting up with an animal like that, no, I've never had that happen before."
On the evening of Nov. 12, and early morning hours of Nov. 13, a resident spotted two men dressed in black walking behind houses near Tequesta Drive, and called law enforcement.
According to investigators, Riggins, 22, had told his girlfriend via phone that day that he would be in the area breaking into homes.
"He was going to do burglaries in the Barefoot Bay area with another individual," said Goodyear.
Deputies responded to the call, but the men fled after being spotted on Royal Palm Boulevard.
Investigators said that after that, Riggins called his girlfriend again, and told her was being chased and lying low.
Police searched the area, and at one point heard "yelling" but could not determine why or where it was coming from,
USA Today reported. They eventually called off the K-9 and helicopter-assisted search.
The following day, Riggins' family reported him missing.
Then, on Nov. 23, Riggins' body was found floating in Barefoot Bay. As the body was recovered, a large, 11-foot gator was "aggressively approaching" the investigators.
They would soon discover that the alligator dragged Riggins into the water, drowning him, and eating both his lower extremities and part of an arm,
according to Sun-Sentinel.com.
"A forensic examination of the alligator located remains consistent with the injuries to Riggins inside the alligator's stomach," deputies said.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.