Two-year-old boy attacked and left dead by alligator at Disney WorldÂ
A 2-year-old Nebraska boy killed by an alligator at a Walt Disney World hotel in June 2016 died. Lane Thomas Graves weighed 30 pounds and stood 37 inches tall. He and other children were collecting water in buckets from the lake to make sandcastles between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. on June 15. The water they were standing in was ankle deep. Matt and Melissa Graves had brought their children to the beach around 8:30 p.m to watch the movie âZootopia.â
The attack happened at dusk, which the report noted was prime alligator hunting time. Matt Graves jumped into the water and tried to open the gatorâs mouth, but it injured the fatherâs hands and the alligator took off with Lane. Another witness said he saw Matt Graves grabbing his sonâs legs to pull him free but the gator pulled the boy farther out and then underwater. The boyâs body was found submerged nearby with only the wounds from the initial attack. Investigators believe the alligator dropped the boy when it broke Matt Gravesâ grasp and went underwater. Matt Graves suffered an injury on his leg but does not know how he received it. He did not see any other alligators.Â
The report noted there were âno swimmingâ signs at the lagoon but made no note of signs warning tourists of the potential danger of alligators. Disney has since erected warning signs. The report also noted at least two people tried to alert Disney staff to the alligator. A South Carolina tourist spotted the alligator from his hotel porch about an hour before the attack. He said he pointed out the animal to a Disney employee. Just before the attack, he saw children in the ankle-deep water and was going out the door to warn them when he heard the mother screaming. A North Carolina woman on the beach reported that her daughter told a Disney âmovie coordinatorâ about seeing the alligator about 5 feet from shore about 8:15 p.m. That man told another staff member. The woman said she and her daughters then went into a store, where they were when the attack occurred.Â







