Alligator bit boy, 2, in head and drowned him as he built sand castles at Disney World

dailystar.co.uk:

It's a scene that will forever be etched on Matt Graves' mind - the moment his young son was dragged away by an alligator. The two-year-old boy died after being pulled into the water at Walt Disney World resort by an the nearly 5ft long reptile - despite his desperate dad's valiant attempts to rescue him.Lane Graves was attacked by the animal as he paddled and built sand castles on the shore of the five-star Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Orlando, Florida.His parents Matt and Melissa Graves tried to help but were forced to watch in terror as the reptile - believed to be somewhere between 4ft and 7ft long - clenched its jaws around him.

Lane's head and neck were gripped before he was pulled into the Seven Seas Lagoon near the premier hotel. The family, from Elk Horne, Nebraska, had been on holiday at the resort and were at an outdoor movie night when the tragic event happened.

The boy waded into about a foot of water in a lagoon, authorities said at the time of the shocking incident in 2016. The alligator's jaws closed around the head of the toddler before dragging him into the water.Witnesses, including the boy's horrified parents, tried to save him.His father jumped in and tried to pry the gator's mouth open and his mother jumped in too. “I saw it come out to get him,” Matt Graves told investigators, according to a report in the aftermath of the tragedy.

The father’s efforts to save his son failed after the gator “just took off” after, he said.Vice President of Walt Disney World Resort Jacquee Wahler said in an statement: "Everyone here at the Walt Disney World Resort is devastated by this tragic accident.