Grim new report reveals how cops tracked down correct alligator after it mauled woman, 31, to death

A 12-foot alligator that killed a Florida woman was identified by the gruesome bite marks it left on her arm, which matched up with its teeth. 

Brittany Clark, 31, was killed on June 28 while she was hiking with her boyfriend, Chance Allison, and their friends and her dogs in the Little Big Econ State Forest, which is just northeast of Orlando.

The group had stopped to take a dip in the Econlockhatchee River. Clark was standing in just three feet of water when a 12-foot alligator suddenly attacked.

‘A row of teeth on the gator head is consistent with teeth marks on the left arm,’ said a preliminary report from the Orange County medical examiner, which was obtained by the New York Post.  

The animal had lunged and grabbed Clark’s arm, then took her into a death roll, which is a gator behavior where the reptiles latch onto prey and violently spin in the water.

The woman’s boyfriend, Allison, tried to save her by wrestling the alligator away, but he was also pulled into the water. The reptile briefly let go of Clark but then bit her other arm. 

Allison continued trying to get his girlfriend out of the water and was eventually successful. The alligator retreated, but by that point, Clark had suffered severe injuries.

The medical examiner’s report said that she had a partially severed left arm and open fracture on her right arm, which had been caused by the death roll.

By the time Allison was able to bring Clark back to shore, friends in their group had already called 911. 

First responders detected a light pulse and rushed her to a hospital, but she died on the way, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. She was officially pronounced dead at the hospital at 2.48pm.

Trappers were later sent to find the gator that killed Clark. They captured and killed two of the reptiles suspected of doing so, one of which was 12.5 feet and the other 13 feet.

The trappers submitted DNA to a lab to confirm which of the animals had killed the 31-year-old, and they kept the gators’ heads in case they would be needed to determine the cause and manner of death.

It was then determined that the jaws of the 12-footer matched the bite marks that had been left on Clark’s arm. 

Frantic 911 calls placed by the couple’s friends paint a harrowing picture of the alligator attack.

‘Bad, real bad please, hurry… she’s losing a lot of… please hurry…’ one caller could be heard saying.

‘How bad is the bite?’ the dispatcher asked at one point. 

‘Horrible,’ the caller replied before describing the injuries. ‘Both her arms are dislocated… off basically… one arm is completely off,’ the caller said.

Clark’s death was the third reported alligator fatality in Florida over a seven-day period. Two of the deaths occurred within 24 hours in Central Florida. 

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission states that alligator attack fatalities are rare, but the agency dispatches trappers to kill any of the animals that attack people and are deemed particularly dangerous to humans, pets or property.

Allison posted a tribute to his girlfriend on Facebook a few days after she died that said: ‘I’m just still in disbelief of what took place. We had so many things planned out and memories to be made.’

‘You were such a special person and did not deserve to go out in such a way. I love you and don’t worry about shady and hokie I’ll take care of them forever,’ he added, referring to Clark’s dogs.