Florida wildlife officials said Friday they captured and euthanized the alligator believed responsible for a May 6 attack that killed 61-year-old Cynthia Diekema as she and her husband paddled a canoe along Tiger Creek near Lake Kissimmee in Polk County.
Authorities said the encounter unfolded in shallow water where the couple’s canoe drifted over a large alligator that thrashed, flipped the boat and pulled Diekema under. Her husband tried to fight the reptile and call for help, officials said. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission later removed a large alligator from the area and confirmed it as the animal linked to the fatal attack. On Friday, the agency summarized its findings and response steps, underscoring how rare deadly incidents are even in a state with an estimated 1.3 million alligators.
Brandon Fisher, an alligator specialist at Gatorland Orlando who reviewed details shared by the state, called the death “a very tragic accident,” saying the behavior described matched a startle response rather than a stalking attack. FWC officials said the couple had been canoeing in roughly two to three feet of water when the animal spun beneath them, capsizing the vessel near the mouth of Tiger Creek. Nearby residents and anglers reported hearing shouts shortly after 3 p.m. Rescue crews recovered Diekema after a search that extended into the evening. Her husband was not hospitalized. A contracted nuisance-trapper and officers remained on scene through the night as they tracked multiple large alligators in the creek channel and adjoining marsh.
Investigators said a large male alligator measuring about 11 feet was captured in the vicinity and later euthanized under state protocol when evidence linked it to the encounter. Wildlife officers did not publicly release a full necropsy report but said physical indicators and location supported their conclusion. The agency declined to specify the exact test methods used, citing investigative records rules, and did not identify any additional animals targeted after the removal. Officials reiterated that unprovoked alligator fatalities are rare. Since the late 1940s, the state has documented hundreds of bites and a small number of deaths statewide, with incident reviews typically leading to removal of the implicated animal and signage checks at nearby access points.
Diekema, identified by FWC earlier in the year, was from the central Florida community of Davenport. She and her husband were paddling a familiar route, according to relatives who spoke with investigators, following a line along reeds and submerged grasses where the creek widens near the north end of Lake Kissimmee. The water that afternoon was calm, with visibility reduced by tannins and sediment. FWC’s field summary described a “surprise contact” scenario in which the canoe’s hull likely brushed the animal. Experts say such contact can trigger a violent roll or tail sweep as an alligator attempts to dislodge what it perceives as a threat pressing from above.
The area where the couple launched is part of a patchwork of conservation lands and ranches east of Lake Wales, with narrow roads leading to unimproved put-ins along creeks and canals. Local anglers and paddlers said large alligators are common in the channel, especially in late spring when males roam and water levels fluctuate. The state maintains public access for fishing and paddling throughout the Kissimmee chain, where shallow flats and submerged logs complicate navigation. Residents who live along the lake edge told reporters that boats occasionally drift over resting gators that are invisible at the surface until they move.
FWC outlined its response timeline: officers secured the scene on May 6, coordinated with Polk County deputies and medical examiners, and initiated searches for large alligators within a defined radius of the capsize site. A permitted nuisance-trapper deployed baited hooks and spotlight surveys after dusk, capturing a large animal in the search zone. The animal was later euthanized. On Friday, the agency said the case file remains available through standard records requests once redactions are completed. No additional enforcement actions were anticipated; the agency said the investigation focused on cause and response, not on any violations by the couple.
State records show the Kissimmee basin has logged prior nonfatal bites tied to surprise encounters near shorelines or in narrow channels but far fewer than urban water bodies that border neighborhoods. FWC data indicate that serious bites tend to cluster in warmer months when alligator activity increases. The commission also works with local governments to post warnings at popular access points and to remove animals deemed a heightened risk near public-use areas. In interviews this week, specialists said shallow-water paddling across grass beds and shoals can increase the chance of gliding over a resting animal, a circumstance more likely at low water when channels constrict.
The agency said it would review signage and access conditions near Tiger Creek and coordinate with land managers who oversee conservation tracts in the corridor. Diekema’s relatives have not announced public memorial plans tied to Friday’s briefing. Fisher, the Gatorland expert, emphasized that investigators saw no indication of baiting or feeding in the area that might have conditioned animals to approach boats. “Everything points to a startled, defensive response that turned catastrophic in seconds,” he said in an interview about the case details released this week.
Wildlife officers said they are compiling a final packet of reports, maps and photographs that document the capsize location, water depth measurements and the track of the captured alligator relative to the mouth of Tiger Creek. The file will include extracts from call logs, radio traffic and the nuisance-trapper’s removal paperwork. While Friday’s summary closed the central question of whether an implicated animal was removed, officials left open whether any additional habitat measures would be considered in that stretch of the creek, noting that broader management decisions typically occur at the watershed level and involve multiple agencies.
Residents who frequent the area described a quiet shoreline this week, with winter birdlife and low boat traffic. A pair of anglers working a grass line near the creek mouth said they saw FWC patrols earlier in the day. One, who declined to give his last name, said he has fished the flats for years and had “never seen anything like what happened in May.” A ranch hand who passes the access road on daily rounds said the state presence after the death was noticeable for weeks as officers fielded questions from visitors and checked for signs that identify known hazards around the canal mouth.
As of Sunday, FWC said the investigation tied to the May 6 fatality had reached its public-summary stage, with the captured alligator euthanized and no additional removals planned. Any further updates will come through routine records releases or future data summaries prepared as part of the commission’s annual incident review.
Author note: Last updated January 11, 2026.