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Cynthia Diekema, 61, was canoeing along with her husband final yr after they crashed into an alligator of their canoe and each fell into the water, in line with a report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee lately obtained by PEOPLE
All through the assault, he stated that his spouse appeared alert, however unable to talk and had a “puzzled look on her face”
Her reason for dying was listed as “a number of blunt pressure accidents from an alligator,” in line with the report.
New particulars have emerged about an alligator assault that claimed the lifetime of a 61-year-old lady as her husband fought to avoid wasting her life.
On Might 6, round 4:02 p.m. native time, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee responded to an alligator encounter close to the mouth of Tiger Creek in Polk County.
The girl, later recognized as Cynthia Diekema, was canoeing along with her husband after they encountered the reptile and each fell into the water, the FWC later shared.
The 11-foot, 4-inch alligator then bit Cynthia and pulled her into the water earlier than she was “later discovered deceased.”
Almost eight months after the assault, an incident abstract report from the FWC, which was obtained by PEOPLE by way of a public data request, revealed extra details about what occurred on that horrifying day.
In a sworn assertion to authorities, David Diekema, Cynthia’s husband, stated that he and his spouse have been touring on an 11-foot plastic canoe that departed earlier that day from Lake Kissimmee State Park.
As soon as they entered the shallow waters of Tiger Creek, David says that they noticed quite a few alligators — and proper earlier than the assault, his spouse commented on how they have been “about to go proper over high of 1,” in line with the report.
Because the canoe crashed into the animal, which was resting on the underside of the creek, the startled animal started to thrash, in line with the report, which induced the canoe to capsize and despatched the couple into the water.
When he was in a position to rise up, David stated he noticed Cynthia’s torso within the alligator’s mouth.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee
A canoe that was concerned in a deadly alligator assault on Might 6, 2025, in Florida’s Tiger Creek
In response to officers, he stated he “tried to free her from the alligator’s mouth for a number of minutes,” however was unsuccessful.
All through the ordeal, he stated that his spouse appeared alert, however unable to talk and had a “puzzled look on her face.”
At one level, the alligator whipped its tail, knocking David off of his ft, in line with the report. Throughout that point, he additionally stated the alligator “momentarily launched” his spouse earlier than biting her once more on the shoulder.
After regaining his steadiness, he tried as soon as once more to free his spouse from the alligator’s mouth, nonetheless the alligator then “performed a dying roll and instantly swam away with Mrs. Diekema in its mouth.”
Understanding that point was of the essence, David — who misplaced his telephone throughout the ordeal — bailed as a lot water as he may from the canoe and paddled north of Tiger Creek till he reached Lake Kissimmee, per the report. There he was rescued by Samaritan in an airboat.
About 20 minutes into their search, the FWC recovered Cynthia’s physique and EMS pronounced her lifeless on the scene. The alligator was captured and euthanized round 7:30 p.m. native time that very same day.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee
An alligator killed a girl who was canoeing along with her husband in Florida on Might 6, 2025
A coroner later carried out an post-mortem and shared their findings with the FWC, detailing quite a few accidents, together with the amputation of her proper arm beneath the shoulder.
They said that the preliminary reason for Cynthia’s dying was “a number of blunt pressure accidents from an alligator” and the way of dying was dominated as an “accident,” in line with the report.
The day after the incident, investigators returned to the scene to seek out some other alligators that have been concerned within the assault and to seize these which might be doubtlessly harmful within the Tiger Creek space. One alligator was dispatched by an officer and moved onto an airboat certain for Kissimmee Park. No different gators have been situated.
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“The FWC extends its deepest sympathies to the household and associates of the sufferer throughout this troublesome time,” the division stated in a earlier assertion.
Cynthia was from Paw Paw, Mich., and is survived by her husband David, two youngsters and two grandchildren, per her obituary.
“She radiated her internal and outer magnificence in all she did and had unconditional love for everybody,” the obituary learn. “She cherished her household and each second and journey they spent collectively.”
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