Five other gators cut open before killer found

Orange County Sheriff's officers search the Seven Seas Lagoon between Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom theme park, left, and the Grand Floridian Resort. Photo / AP

At least five other alligators were caught and cut open before searchers found the killer of a 2-year-old Nebraska boy snatched by an alligator at Walt Disney World.

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings identified the boy as Lane Graves of Elkhorn.

"We recovered the remains of the 2-year-old from the water and that body has now been turned over to the Orange county medical examiners office for an autopsy," he told reporters.

The boy was attacked yesterday as he waded in shallow water at the edge of the Seven Seas Lagoon at Disney's Grand Floridian resort.

The search team grew to 50 people today as trappers and divers searched Disney's network of man-made canals, ponds and lakes.

At least five other alligators were caught and cut open before they found the killer.

Demings says Walt Disney World has been providing "amazing" support. Demings says Disney has never had anything like this happen in 45 years of operations.

He says the theme parks' wildlife management system works diligently to keep guests safe from dangerous Florida creatures, removing or killing any alligators they find.

Disney closed all beach areas in its Lake Buena Vista resorts in "an abundance of caution".

Officials say the little boy was wading at the edge of the Seven Seas Lagoon around nightfall local time when an alligator dragged him under.

- AP, Reuters