Alligator Alert Sent to Florida Residents Two Days Before Woman Was Attacked, Killed While Walking Dogs

Residents of a South Florida homeowner's association received an alligator warning just two days before a woman was attacked and killed by an alligator while walking her dogs. Shizuka Matsuki, 47, was killed by an alligator measuring 12 feet, 6 inches on Friday morning.

The Isla del Sol Homeowners Association in Plantation, Florida, sent an email alert to residents Wednesday, urging them "to exercise caution with our families and pets, mindful that alligators, snakes and other wildlife may be in the area." The alert noted that a 6-foot alligator had been spotted at a resident's front door and trapped, The Sun-Sentinel reported.

It is unclear whether or not Matsuki received the email before she took her two dogs out for a walk at Silver Lakes Rotary Nature Park in Davie on June 8. The Davie Police Department and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Matsuki was attacked near a lake, but details about the fatal incident have not been released.

A man reportedly saw Matsuki walking her dogs at the lake. Shortly afterward, the same man saw the dogs wandering alone.

"The witness who called us went to the area where he thought that they had been walking, and he immediately spotted an alligator," Davie Police Detective Vivian Gallinal told WPLG.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said that a 12-foot, 6-inch alligator was caught and killed after Matsuki was attacked and killed. Officials performed a necropsy and found Matsuki's arm, which was identified by a tattoo, in the reptile's stomach.

"A 12-foot, 6-inch alligator was removed from the lake by an FWC-contracted trapper. After an initial necropsy, evidence was found that indicates that the victim of this incident was bitten by the alligator that was captured earlier today," the commission said in a statement, according to WPEC. "The FWC believes that the victim is deceased and we will continue recovery efforts on the lake with local authorities."

Commission spokesman Robert Klepper told local media that Matsuki's body was discovered just before 10 p.m.

"It is too early to speculate as to the details of this tragedy," Klepper said in a statement to Newsweek on Monday. The spokesman said the commission was conducting an investigation and would release its findings after the investigation was completed.

"We would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Shizuka Matsuki. Search teams located the body of Ms. Matsuki June 8 at the Silver Lakes Rotary Nature Park lake in Davie. We will be conducting a thorough investigation into this incident," the commission tweeted.

Klepper noted in his statement to Newsweek that serious injuries caused by alligators were rare in Florida.