Human remains were found in an alligator that is suspected of killing a man during the flooding following Hurricane Ida.
The 12-foot, 504-pound alligator was caught over the weekend by St. Tammany Parish sheriff’s deputies along with federal and state wildlife officials, the police department said on Facebook on Tuesday.
Timothy Satterlee was killed a day after Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana when an alligator ripped his arm off.
The 71-year-old’s wife tried to pull him out of the water and left for a moment to get medical help, but his body was swept away in the water while she was gone.
“This is a horrible tragedy and my sincere condolences and sympathy goes to the Satterlee family,” Sheriff Randy Smith said in a statement. “I know today’s findings does not bring their loved one back, but hopefully this can bring them some sort of closure.”
“I am very proud of the hard, non-stop work, of my deputies and the other agencies who assisted, and I hope their persistence in finding this alligator will help the family with coping with their loss. We will continue to keep them in our prayers,” Smith added.
The human remains in the stomach of the alligator will be verified by the St. Tammany Parish coroner’s office to assure they match Satterlee.