(Reuters) – A 504-pound alligator believed to have killed a 71-year-old Louisiana man in Hurricane Ida floodwaters has been captured with what appears to be human remains in its stomach, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office said.
The 12-foot alligator’s capture ends a two-week search by local and state agencies for Timothy Satterlee Sr, who was last seen on Aug. 30 when his wife saw him being attacked outside their home about 35 miles (55 km) northeast of New Orleans.
The attack occurred one day after Ida, one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to strike the U.S. Gulf Coast, had caused devastating flooding in some areas outside a new levee and floodgate system protecting the city.
An alligator “weighing a startling 504 pounds” was caught on Monday in a trap set by two Louisiana Department of Wildlife licensed nuisance hunters, according to a statement Monday from St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.
“Once the alligator was searched, it was discovered to have what appears to be human remains inside its stomach,” the sheriff’s office said. “Investigators will work with the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office to verify those remains belong to Timothy Satterlee.”
Satterlee’s wife had told authorities that she saw a large alligator attack her husband outside their residence and intervened to stop it before taking a small boat to go and get help about one mile away.
When she returned her husband was no longer there, the sheriff’s office said in a statement on Aug. 30.
(Reporting by Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut; Editing by Alistair Bell)
