Testing has found that DNA taken from a 13-foot alligator captured at the scene of a deadly June 28 attack matches that of victim Brittany Clark.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced the match July 16 and said the investigation into the incident remains active with additional information to be released after it concludes.
Clark, 31, was swimming with her boyfriend and a friend in the Econlockhatchee River when the alligator grabbed her arm and did a “death roll.” While her boyfriend was able to get her to shore, the alligator tore her left arm partially off at her shoulder and she had an open fracture on her right arm. FWC officials said she died on the way to the hospital.
Contracted nuisance alligator trappers caught and killed two alligators after the attack including a 12-foot gator and the 13-footer, which was caught “exactly at the incident scene” FWC officials said.
Clark’s attack was among a spate of violent incidents involving alligators between June 21 and July 3 that included an 11-year-old boy who lost his hand as a result of a bite and a 71-year-old man who fought off an alligator that grabbed his leg while he was fishing from a canal bank behind his home.
But Clark’s attack brought national attention when the release of a 911 call reflected the terror and anguish of her friend as she tried to relay their location to the operator while answering questions about Clark’s injuries.
“She’s awake, she’s awake, she’s breathing. I’m watching for the gator right now. He’s going away,” said Clark’s friend to the 911 dispatcher.
“How bad is the bite?” the dispatcher asked.
“Horrible. One of her arms is completely off. One is attached barely.”
At one point the dispatcher asks if the bleeding is serious.
“It’s horrible, it’s severe,” the caller responds.
“Do you know where the other arm is?”
“It’s gone,” the caller says.
A report released by the Office of the Medical Examiner in Orland says the 130-pound Clark and her boyfriend Chance Allison were dragged under by the alligator as tried to pull Clark away from the gator.
Clark was freed for a moment before the alligator latched onto her other arm, the medical examiner’s report says. It wasn’t until Allison tried to bring them both to shore that the alligator “finally” let go. Allison began CPR on the shore and a desperate call to 911 was made.
The 911 call and medical examiner report reflect that Clark was conscious after the attack, but had a “thready” pulse by the time first responders arrived. She was pronounced dead at 2:48 p.m., about an hour after the attack occurred.
“A row of teeth on the gator head is consistent with teeth marks on the left arm,” the report says.
This is a breaking news story, check back for updates.
Kimberly Miller is a journalist for the USA TODAY NETWORK FLORIDA. She covers weather, the environment and critters as the Embracing Florida reporter. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at palmbeachpost.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: DNA testing finds that Brittany Clark killed by 13-foot alligator
Reporting by Kimberly Miller, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Kimberly Miller, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
