Family wins payout after event planner, 69, was killed by alligator in the upscale Hilton Head island community where she'd lived for 35 years

By JOE HUTCHISON, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 00:21, 12 May 2026 | Updated: 00:22, 12 May 2026 The family of an elderly event planner killed by an alligator on upscale Hilton Head Island have been handed an undisclosed payout after filing a wrongful death suit.  Holly Jenkins, 69, was killed by a 10-foot alligator while walking her dog near her home on the South Carolina island on July 4, 2023.  Her body was found by her husband and son in one of the community ponds in the area, where homes can fetch as much as $10 million.  She left the home she shared with her husband of 45 years Justin to walk their dog around the neighborhood that morning.  Her son and husband later found the family dog with its leash in the backyard around 8am, but 'Holly was nowhere to be found', the suit said.  After they found her laying face down in one of the ponds, they dialed 911 while her son had to 'distract the alligator' to keep it away from his mom, the suit said.  She was pronounced dead at the scene, but the lawsuit said that she did not die in the initial attack by the animal, which was euthanized.  A necropsy of the beast found her hand and foot inside its stomach. The suit also described her as being 'cautious' and warned young families about the dangers.   Holly Jenkins, 69, was killed by a 10-foot alligator while walking her dog near her home on the South Carolina island on July 4, 2023 Officials are seen here on the scene after the incident in July of 2023 The suit filed by her family named the Spanish Wells Club, GW Services Inc, and the Spanish Wells Property Owners Association as defendants.  In the suit, her family claimed the defendants contributed to her 'gruesome' death by failing to remove alligators from the area. Her family also cited a lack of signage warning locals of the dangers associated with the gator population.  The suit highlighted an email from the areas property management team to homeowners in 2016 which said a 'large alligator' was spotted. The email asked locals to keep an eye out and added that 'proper measures' were being taken by the Spanish Wells Club. Yet the sightings actually increased in the years after, with the suit alleging that special tags, which are handed out to allow the killing of the animals, was 'woefully underestimated'. According to a settlement approval filed this week the three defendants offered to settle to 'buy their peace from litigation'. The amount handed over was not disclosed. The Island Packet spoke with Jessica Fickling, one of the attorneys who represented her family in the lawsuit, she declined to give details on the amount. She left the home she shared with her husband of 45 years Justin, left, to walk their dog around the neighborhood that morning An alligator is seen near the 11th hole during the second round at the RBC Heritage golf tournament Friday, April 17, 2026, in Hilton Head She was pronounced dead at the scene, but the lawsuit said that she did not die in the initial attack by the animal, which was euthanized She said: 'As lawyers who are often working with families on their very worst day, some of what we hear from the other side is often about the unforeseeable nature of something or personal accountability. 'But I think what we’re trying to promote and to shed some light on is that there is some collective responsibility, and so when things like this happen, we should be looking at what could have been done to prevent it.' An obituary for Jenkins said: 'Holly's legacy will forever live on in our hearts. Her impact on the community will not be forgotten.  'Her absence leaves a void in our lives, but her love and spirit will forever guide us. May she rest in eternal peace as we hold her close in our hearts.' Three people have been killed by alligators in Beaufort County, where Jenkins lived, since 2018.  The majority of the incidents are due to people walking their dog near ponds or lagoons, The Island Packet reported.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.