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41-year-old woman dead after alligator seen with body in its mouth

A medical examiner's office said it will conduct an autopsy, which will help determine if the alligator killed her.
41-year-old woman dead after alligator seen with body in its mouth
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A 41-year-old woman was found dead after an alligator was spotted with a body in its mouth in Florida.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said officers responded to the area of 134th Avenue North and 121st Street North in Unincorporated Largo after a report of a body seen in the waterway.

Deputies were met with a 13-foot, 8.5-inch male alligator, who was humanely killed and removed from the waterway with help from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Officers also recovered the remains of a deceased person, whom the medical examiner's office later identified as Sabrina Peckham. The medical examiner’s office said an autopsy will determine Peckham’s cause and manner of death. It is not yet known if the alligator killed her.

Peckham faced a history of trespassing charges near the area where she was found dead. Scripps News reviewed a police report from earlier this month where Peckham was arrested for trespassing on Sept. 7 in Largo. The New York Post reported that Peckham was homeless and had a history of trespassing arrests on county wetlands, in addition to multiple drug and theft convictions dating back to 2014.

Police said an investigation into Peckham's death remains ongoing.

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