Florida wildlife officials said Friday they located and euthanized an 11-foot, 4-inch alligator believed to have killed 61-year-old Cynthia Diekema during a May 6, 2025 canoe outing on Tiger Creek near Lake Wales. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission released a report detailing the encounter and its decision to remove the reptile after confirming its involvement.
The case drew renewed attention this month because it closed a painful loop for the victim’s family and for boaters who frequent the quiet stretches that feed Lake Kissimmee. Investigators say the couple launched their canoe from nearby state park access and encountered several alligators in shallow water before their boat slid over a larger animal that had been resting. Officials said the collision startled the alligator and triggered the fatal chain of events. The agency’s report and interviews with experts outline how quickly the confrontation unfolded, why officers targeted the specific animal, and what evidence tied it to the death. Authorities did not announce any criminal inquiry linked to the incident.
According to the investigative summary, Diekema and her husband were paddling along Tiger Creek that afternoon when their 11-foot plastic canoe crossed over an alligator’s back and tipped. Both fell into roughly two feet of water. As the husband tried to right the canoe, the alligator seized Diekema at the torso and dragged her. He attempted to pull her free but could not. Emergency crews recovered her within minutes, and a medical examiner later listed multiple blunt-force injuries and sharp-force trauma consistent with a large alligator bite. “It’s a very tragic accident,” said Brandon Fisher, an alligator behavior specialist at Gatorland Orlando, who reviewed the scenario publicly. “When a gator of that size decides to move, it happens fast.”
FWC officers canvassed the creek and adjoining marsh for days after the attack and later resumed targeted trapping based on size, location and behavior. Wildlife staff documented several alligators in the area, but one specimen matched reports from the scene and evidence recovered during the response. The animal measured 11 feet, 4 inches, weighed several hundred pounds, and was captured and euthanized under state nuisance protocols. Officials said the couple had seen multiple smaller alligators earlier on their route. The report describes the water as tea-colored and shallow with soft bottom, conditions that can conceal resting animals along narrow channels. Investigators said no other aggressive alligators were found during follow-up sweeps.
Diekema, of Davenport, was remembered by friends and relatives as an upbeat presence who enjoyed the outdoors with her husband. The pair had paddled Tiger Creek before, according to family accounts. Lake Wales sits along the eastern edge of Polk County, where creeks and cypress sloughs feed into Lake Kissimmee and the upper Kissimmee River basin. The region is prime habitat for American alligators, which often bask on banks or rest just below the surface in warm months. State records note that fatal attacks are rare compared with the number of encounters statewide, but the agency has tracked sporadic deadly incidents over decades as development and recreation bring people closer to wetlands.
Officials said the decision to euthanize the alligator followed the release of the investigative report Jan. 9, which reconstructed the couple’s route from a Lake Kissimmee State Park launch into Tiger Creek’s narrow bends. The document cites physical measurements, bite-pattern analysis and timing from witness statements. No charges are expected. The case file remains open for records processing as the agency compiles photos and field notes for public release. The wildlife commission said it would continue routine patrols in the watershed, with seasonal trapping when specific animals are identified as a hazard by size and behavior criteria outlined in state policy.
On the ground near Tiger Creek, anglers and paddlers described a serene corridor broken by occasional airboat noise and cranes lifting from cypress knees. Park visitors left flowers along a sandy pull-off after news of the victim’s death in May. “That creek is usually quiet,” said Tom Reeves, who fishes the oxbows on weekends. “You might see three or four gators sunning, and they slip under when you float past.” Fisher, the Gatorland expert, said the confrontation illustrates how a resting alligator can react to sudden contact. “The canoe went across the back of the gator,” he said in a broadcast interview. “It doesn’t know what touched it, and it exploded forward.”
As of Tuesday, wildlife officials said their field operation is complete and the specific alligator has been removed from the waterway. The report’s publication closes the investigative phase, with additional documents set to be posted to agency archives in the coming weeks. No memorial service information was released by the family through officials. The creek and park access remained open to the public over the weekend, according to state park notices.
Author note: Last updated January 13, 2026.