The daughter of a homeless Florida woman, who was eaten an alligator, has refuted claims that her mother taunted the reptile before the horrifying incident unfolded. The alligator attacked her mother, dragged her into a canal and killed her. Sabrina Peckham, 41, was found in the jaws of a 14-foot alligator after being pulled into a canal in Largo, Clearwater on Friday.
A formal cause of her death is yet to be determined by the coroner. Peckham's daughter, Breauna Dorris, has stepped forward to defend her mother, suggesting that the deadly alligator likely attacked her as she was walking to her homeless camp in the darkness, the Daily Mail reported.
Daughter Defends Mother
"My mother was a part 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,' Dorris wrote in a Facebook post.
"My mother, Sabrina Peckham was the victim of the alligator attack at McCay Creek (rainbow village). Please understand that we do not have all information yet as the medical examiners report is not yet finished.
"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. We expected to have many many more years with her. Unfortunately god has called her home sooner than our hearts were ready."
She shared her perspective and highlighted the family's GoFundMe campaign, which has garnered nearly $5,000 in support, the outlet reported.
"The past 24 hours have been filled with grief and sorrow and unbearable pain for our family.
Dorris wrote about her mother in a heartfelt statement: "To my mother: I love you more than I ever expressed, I miss you more than you'll ever know and I pray that you are looking down over me and your grandchildren.
"Please protect us. I'm so sorry this happened to you. I pray you are at peace and you are no longer struggling or hurting. I pray you found momo and pop and you all are watching down from above."
Playing With Danger
Over the weekend it emerged how Sabrina Peckham was arrested on July 14 two months before the fatal incident, for trespassing on a county wetland located just half a mile from where the alligator attack occurred, as reported by WFLA.
Peckham had reportedly ignored warning signs in the area. Subsequently, on September 8, she entered a plea of no contest to the misdemeanor charge of trespassing and was ordered to pay a $500 fine.
This was not Peckham's first brush with the law in connection to trespassing, as records indicate she had multiple misdemeanor incidents dating back to 2014.
Her legal history included theft convictions and other encounters with law enforcement.
"No matter how you put it, no one deserves to die like this," her daughter wrote on social media.
Investigators are actively working to determine whether Peckham's death was a result of the alligator's actions, and further investigations are underway to determine the circumstances surrounding her tragic death.
"I saw the gator. It appeared to be a body in his mouth, so I started recording," JaMarcus Bullard told Spectrum Bay News 9.
"I picked up a rock to hit it, it was a lower torso in his mouth. It just like swam backward down into the lower canal."
Upon witnessing the gruesome sight, Bullard, who was on his way to a job interview, quickly notified the Largo Fire Department, just a few steps away from the gory scene.
Emergency responders swiftly took action, retrieving the alligator from the water and, as described by Bullard, shooting it "a few times" to neutralize the threat.
"A lot of my neighbors were out here and they're the ones that told me about the gator," area resident Jennifer Dean told the outlet.
"While we were standing here we heard a shot, I assume they killed the gator."
At the location, investigators were present alongside the alligator, which showed visible signs of blood, and seemed to measure at least 14 feet in length.
The area is near the popular Ridgecrest Park, which includes a 5-acre lake known to house alligators.
According to Dean, alligators are known to roam the neighborhood regularly. However, the alligator euthanized on Friday was notably one of the largest she had ever encountered.
