Stunned woman, 61, dragged away and eaten alive on vacation as husband watchedBrigid Brown Sun, November 15, 2026 at 8:04 PM UTC
Cynthia Diekema (Image: D.L. Miller Funeral Home)
A woman was dragged to her death and eaten alive while on vacation after canoe she was traveling in with her husband brushed a vicious alligator. Within seconds, the beast carried out a "death roll" as it took her deep into the murky waters and ended her life.
Cynthia Diekema, 61, was canoeing with her husband when the attack unfolded in the Tiger Creek, Polk County, Florida.
According to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the couple started their trip at Lake Kissimmee State Park. They were paddling an 11-foot plastic canoe through the shallow water when they saw several alligators.
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Right before the attack, Cynthia told her husband they were "about to go right over top of one."
Their canoe hit the alligator resting at the bottom of the creek. Startled, the 11-foot, 4-inch alligator began to thrash around. This tipped the canoe over and threw both Cynthia and David into the water around 4 p.m.
When their canoe drifted over an alligator, the startled animal thrashed and tipped their boat over (Image: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)
In a statement to police, David said he stood up in the water and saw Cynthia's torso in the alligator's mouth. He said he tried to pull her free for several minutes, but could not. During the struggle, David noticed his wife looked alert and but began to have a "puzzled look on her face" and lost the ability to speak.
The alligator then hit David with its tail, knocking him down. The animal briefly let go of Cynthia before biting her again on the shoulder.
David stood back up and tried to save her again. However, the alligator did a "death roll" and swam away with her.
A death roll is a powerful bite that occurs while the alligator makes a full-bodied twisting motion to disable, kill, and dismember its prey into smaller pieces.
David had lost his phone when the canoe tipped over, so he could not call 911. He scooped water out of the canoe and paddled north to Lake Kissimmee to find help. A person in an airboat rescued him there.
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The alligator clamped onto Cynthia's midsection immediately after the canoe tipped over (Image: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)
Wildlife officers arrived and searched the area after the incident on May 6, 2025. They found Cynthia's body about 20 minutes later, and paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.
A medical examiner found that Cynthia died from blunt force injuries caused by the alligator, including the loss of her right arm below the shoulder. Her death was ruled an accident.
Trappers caught and put down the alligator around 7:30 p.m. that same day. Officers went back to the creek the next day to check for other dangerous alligators and removed one more from the area.
Cynthia was from Paw Paw, Michigan. She is survived by her husband, two children, and two grandchildren.
"She radiated her inner and outer beauty in all she did and had unconditional love for everyone," her obituary said. "She cherished her family and every moment and adventure they spent together."
The FWC said in a statement that it sends its "deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the victim during this difficult time."
Source: Crime
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