Florida wildlife officials have confirmed that a 13-foot alligator captured last month was responsible for the death of a 31-year-old Orlando woman, using a violent spinning maneuver known as a “death roll.” The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced that laboratory testing positively linked DNA from Brittany Clark to genetic material found on the large reptile, which was caught after the attack on the Econlockhatchee River on June 28.
Clark was swimming near the Barr Street Trailhead in the Little Big Econ State Forest when the alligator attacked. She was taken to a hospital as a trauma alert but died from her injuries en route, officials said. According to a preliminary report from the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office, Clark was swimming in shoulder-deep water with her boyfriend, Chance Allison, and another friend when the alligator grabbed her arm and began the “death roll.”
The report detailed that Allison grabbed the alligator in an attempt to free Clark, but the reptile took both of them underwater, releasing Clark momentarily before seizing her other arm. After the alligator let go, Allison brought Clark to shore and called 911. Brief body camera footage captured a Seminole County deputy responding to the scene. The “death roll” is a behavior in which alligators latch onto prey and spin violently to subdue or dismember it, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Following the attack, FWC trappers captured and killed two large alligators—one measuring 12.5 feet and another 13 feet—and sent their DNA to a laboratory to determine which animal was involved. The FWC confirmed that bite marks on Clark’s arm were consistent with the front row teeth of the 13-foot alligator. “The FWC’s investigation into this incident remains active,” the agency said in a statement.
Serious injuries caused by alligators are uncommon in Florida, although alligators can be found in lakes, rivers, ponds, and other freshwater bodies across all 67 counties, according to the FWC. Officials said they are not speculating about what prompted the attack but noted that alligators can become more territorial during their mating season, which typically runs from April through June. The attack occurred near the end of that period.
The FWC has issued safety recommendations for individuals who may encounter alligators. The agency advises people to keep a safe distance, keep pets on a leash and away from the water’s edge, and swim only in designated swimming areas during daylight hours. “Pets often resemble alligators’ natural prey,” officials warned. Alligators are most active between dusk and dawn, and feeding them is illegal and dangerous. “When fed, alligators can lose their natural wariness and instead learn to associate people with the availability of food,” the FWC added. “This can lead to an alligator becoming a nuisance and needing to be removed from the wild.”
Residents with concerns about alligators are encouraged to call the FWC’s toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline. The incident has drawn attention to the risks of swimming in natural freshwater habitats in Florida, where alligator populations are widespread. The FWC continues to monitor the area and urges the public to remain vigilant near waterways.
