A 69-year-old woman tragically lost her life in an alligator attack in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, on Tuesday morning. The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office reported that the incident occurred near a lagoon in the Spanish Wells community. Emergency responders arrived at the scene around 9:30 a.m. to find the woman unresponsive near the water's edge, with an alligator guarding her body and hindering rescue efforts. The alligator, estimated to be nearly ten feet long, was safely removed, and the woman's body was recovered.

Authorities believe the victim was walking her dog near the lagoon when the attack took place. The dog was thankfully found unharmed. The Beaufort County Coroner’s Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. This marks the second fatal alligator attack in the area within the past year, following the death of an 88-year-old Sun City resident last August. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is involved in the ongoing investigation.

This incident follows a recent report of a five-foot alligator entering a Louisiana couple's home through their dog door, highlighting the potential dangers of these creatures in residential areas.