Florida man’s partially eaten body is found inside of a 450 pound alligator four days after he was last seen alive by family and friends
- The partially eaten body of Michael Ford II was found in the mouth of an alligator in Polk Country, Florida on Thursday
- A necropsy performed on the reptile revealed one of Ford’s hands and one of his feet was inside the gator’s stomach
- According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, the animal was nearly 12 feet long and weighed about 450 pounds
- The coroner is awaiting the results of a toxicology report to determine Ford’s official cause of death
Officials are investigating the death of a Florida man whose partially-eaten body was discovered inside the stomach of an alligator.
Police were called to a Mosaic phosphate mine in Polk County early Thursday morning, after an employee discovered human remains floating in a canal on the company grounds.
According to a police report, the employee saw the gator with its mouth still clamped around part of the body. The victim has now been identified as 45-year-old Michael Ford II, of Wauchula.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission were called to the scene, where they trapped and killed the alligator.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission trapped and killed the gator, who had one Ford’s hands and one of his feet were inside of its stomach
According to the Commission, the gator was nearly 12 feet long and weighed about 450 pounds.
They performed a necropsy on the animal, which revealed that one of Ford’s hands and one of his feet were inside of its stomach.
Meanwhile, an autopsy performed on Ford revealed that he had lacerations and other injuries to his body which were caused by the reptile.
A preliminary report lists Ford’s cause of death as drowning, but investigators are waiting for the results of a toxicology report before making a final determination.
It’s unclear as to whether the man was dead before he was attacked by the reptile.
It also remains unclear why Ford was on the Mosaic grounds.
Police seized his truck at the scene, and he was last seen by family and friends four days earlier on Sunday June 23.
Police seized Ford’s truck at the scene. It remains unclear as to why he was on the Mosaic grounds
