Woman dies after alligator bites off her arm in Florida river

U.S. newsWoman dies after alligator bites off her arm in Florida riverThe victim was swimming in Econlockhatchee River with friends when she was attacked Sunday.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00ShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 29, 2026, 3:59 PM EDTBy Austin Mullen and Corky SiemaszkoA 31-year-old Florida woman died after an alligator bit off one of her arms and mauled the other at a state park near Orlando, authorities and a 911 call revealed Monday.Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.The victim had been hiking with her boyfriend and her best friend on Sunday in the Little Big Eco State Forest when they waded into the Econlockhatchee River to cool off, Grant Eller, lieutenant with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said.They were kneeling in 3-feet-deep water when the alligator suddenly attacked at around 1:30 p.m. and bit her arms, Eller said. The boyfriend was still “trying to get her arms away from the alligator’s mouth” when he called 911 for help, Eller said.In a recording of the 911 call obtained by NBC News, screams and crying can be heard in the background as what sounds like a female on the phone line tells the emergency dispatcher, “Okay, both her arms, both her arms, both her arms are off, like basically.”The dispatcher tells her that help is on the way and asks “does she still have her arms attached to her.”“One of them is like, very hanging on (by a) thread, and the other was off,” the female on the phone replies.When the dispatcher asks again where the other arm is, the female on the phone answers, “Gone.”Then there is more screaming as the two friends carrying the mortally wounded woman try to get the attention of the arriving rescue workers. The victim, who lived in Orlando, died before rescue workers could get her to a hospital, Eller said. He did not identify the woman because they’re still trying to reach her family, who live out of the stat...