Cassandra Cline was walking her dog along a lagoon in a resort town in South Carolina when her pup ventured closer to the water, authorities said.
The dog may have seen another animal in the water Monday morning on Hilton Head Island. NBC News reported that when the dog, a Shetland sheepdog called Kylie, got to the edge, an alligator apparently attacked in what authorities said was an “extremely uncommon” occurrence.
Beaufort County Coroner Edward Allen told NBC News that the alligator first tried to attack Cline’s dog — and the 45-year-old woman tried to save it.
Then, Allen said, “the alligator turned on her.”
During the struggle, Allen said, the alligator chomped down on the dog’s leash and dragged Cline underwater, where she died. Her dog was not harmed in the attack, authorities said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Cline as well as their neighbors and other family members,” Allen said, according to NBC affiliate WSAV.
Officials with the Beaufort, S.C., County Sheriff’s Office said Cline, from Hilton Head, was suspected to have been killed by the eight-foot-long reptile.
Advertisement
Deputies responded to the scene near Wood Duck Road in the Sea Pines neighborhood about 9:30 a.m. and pulled her body from the water, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office. Authorities are awaiting an autopsy to determine the woman’s exact cause of death, according to the statement from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Cline’s mother, Julia Meza, told NBC News that her daughter died trying to save her dog.
“The maintenance man on the golf course saw it happening,” she told the station about the incident. “They tried to resuscitate her, but it didn’t work.”
Share this articleShareSouth Carolina Department of Natural Resources spokesman David Lucas said fatal alligator attacks are “extremely uncommon,” especially in South Carolina.
Lucas said that over the past four decades, only one other death from an alligator encounter has been recorded in the state. In 2016, a 90-year-old woman found dead in a pond in Charleston was believed to have been killed by an alligator, according to the Post and Courier. Lucas said that since 1976, there have about 20 nonfatal encounters with alligators in the state.
Advertisement
After Monday’s incident, Lucas said, authorities captured the alligator and euthanized it.
A spokeswoman with Sea Pines Community Services Associates called it a “tragedy,” saying the homeowners association is working with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources during the investigation.
The Department of Natural Resources has previously warned residents and visitors to the coastal plains to beware that alligators may be hiding in bodies of water and not to approach the animals.
Officials also said people should avoid swimming in water or allowing pets to swim in water where alligators are known to live, and urged people to never feed the animals because it can make them aggressive toward humans.
“Not only is it illegal in South Carolina to feed alligators, it also teaches them to associate people with food,” according to a 2016 news release. “This can cause alligators to lose their natural fear of humans. In many cases, fed alligators will begin to approach at the sight of people and may become aggressive in seeking a handout. These animals will be euthanized to prevent unwanted alligator interactions.
"Also, don’t dispose of fish scraps or crab bait in the water at boat ramps, docks, swimming, or camping areas. You can inadvertently be feeding alligators.”
Read more:
Captured: A 1,300-pound crocodile that evaded rangers in Australia for years
‘It was a monster’: Hunters kill enormous 800-pound alligator that was feasting on farm cattle
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZLuiwMiopWhqYGaFcHyXaGlpZ6ekuqK6jLCYrGWnlrmstc2gZKGdomKxsLOMm7BmpJGcvLC6jK2fnqZdlrturculoKCZpKS%2FbrzUpaOenF2dsrN51KebnqqnlsGmvoyppqWhk5p6tK3YaA%3D%3D