A woman found dead in the jaws of an alligator was recently arrested for trespassing on wetlands, it has been revealed as her family spoke out about their grief.
A GoFundMe page has been set up in the wake of Peckham’s death and over $1,000 has been donated to the fund set up by daughter Breauna Dorris. “Sabrina lost her life suddenly after being attacked by a 13 foot alligator,” Breauna wrote.
The post continued: “Sabrina was loved by many and we expected many many more years with her. Our family is in shambles trying to cope with this kind of loss. Sabrina only being 41 and homeless at the time had no funeral or death arrangements set up.”
Sabrina Peckham, 41, was identified by police yesterday after a passer-by made the shocking discovery in Pinellas County, Florida. It is not yet clear if Peckham was killed by the reptile, or was already dead when the beast found her and an autopsy is due to be carried out on her body.
Peckham, reported to have been homeless at the time of her death, was arrested for trespassing onto county wetland on July 14. The arrest was made just half a mile from where she was found dead on Friday.
Breauna said the “past 24 hours have been filled with grief and sorrow and unbearable pain for our family,” in an update on Facebook. “I love you more than I ever expressed… I pray you are at peace and you are no longer struggling or hurting,” she said.
She added: “Some details I would like to share is that my mother did not “taunt” the alligator as some are saying in the news outlets comments. My mother was apart of the homeless population that lived in the nearby wooded area.
“It is believed that she may have been walking to or from her camp site near the creek in the dark and the alligator attacked from the water. Please do not speak on what you don’t know. No matter how you put it, no one deserves to die like this.”
The body was reportedly found at about 2pm local time on Friday near 121st Street and Ulmerton Road in Ridgecrest Park, Florida. Ridgecrest Park has a large lake nearby, where the 14-foot beast may have come from.
JaMarcus Bullard told Tampa Fox affiliate WTVT he saw the reptile with “a body in its mouth” and the incident left him worried about children in a nearby school. “All I can think about is all of these little kids that go to the school right behind me,” said Bullard, who though he had seen a mannequin at first.
Bullard said children “come this way every single day” and he was looking for fish while he was waiting for a job interview when the disturbing sight met his eyes.
“I noticed it had a body in its mouth, like a lower torso,” he said. “So once I realised that, I ran straight to the fire department and got them. They confirmed there was a body.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said the beast was “humanely” killed after the incident was reported. The sheriff’s office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are investigating the incident.
“A lot of my neighbours were out here, and they’re the ones that told me about the gator,” Jennifer Dean told Bay News 9. She said the beast was the largest she had ever seen that there are lots of alligators in the area.
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This article by Benjamin Lynch was first published by The Mirror on 24 September 2023. Lead Image: Authorities killed a 13-foot, 8.5-inch alligator in Florida after human remains were discovered Friday in its jaws.
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