Matt Graves tried to pry his 2-year-old son Lane from the jaws of an alligator as he wrestled with the scaly beast on Tuesday. His wife Melissa screamed for a lifeguard to help. 
 
 The Nebraska couple, who since Sunday stayed at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa near the Magic Kingdom park, were on vacation with Lane and their 4-year-old daughter. 
 
 It would be their last as a complete family. 
 
 After a 16-hour search for the boy sent helicopters overhead and boats into the man-made lake, divers with the Orange County Sheriff's Office Wednesday found Lane's remains. They recovered his body, intact, about 15 yards from the shore, six feet underwater. It appears Lane drowned in the roughly 172-acre lake after the gator pulled him underwater about 9 p.m., said Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings. 
 
 Lane's death marks the first alligator attack on the park's property since a predator bit the legs of an 8-year-old boy, who survived, on Disney's Fort Wilderness campground in 1986. The accident brings more grief to Orange County after the worst mass shooting in U.S. history Sunday and the slaying of singer Christina Grimmie following a Friday concert. 
 
 During Wednesday's search for Lane, investigators pulled and killed five gators from the area but have not determined the culprit. Officials estimated the responsible gator to be between four and seven feet long and must compare teeth marks to find it. 
 
 "I am absolutely stunned and heartbroken to learn of his family's unspeakable loss," said Michael Iaccarino, Chairman and CEO of Infogroup, Graves' company, in statement. "Matt's family is the light of his life, and his family's anguish is our own." 
 
 Orange County Sheriff's Office This undated family photo obtained June 16, 2016 courtesy of the Orange County Sheriff's Office in Orlando, Florida shows Lane Graves, the 2-year-old who was snatched by an alligator on June 14 in the Seven Seas Lagoon off the shore of Disney's Grand Floridian Resort at Walt Disney World. His body was found June 15 by divers in murky water. Graves was with his family from of Elkhorn, Nebraska. His parents are Matt and Melissa Graves. This undated family photo obtained June 16, 2016 courtesy of the Orange County Sheriff's Office in Orlando, Florida shows Lane Graves, the 2-year-old who was snatched by an alligator on June 14 in the Seven Seas Lagoon off the shore of Disney's Grand Floridian Resort at Walt Disney World. His body was found June 15 by divers in murky water. Graves was with his family from of Elkhorn, Nebraska. His parents are Matt and Melissa Graves. (Orange County Sheriff's Office) (Orange County Sheriff's Office) 
 
 'Frantic' mother 
 
 The family was relaxing on the shore in a play area when Lane somehow ended up in the water, Demings said. The area has signs posted against swimming in the lake, but they don't warn of the lurking gators. 
 
 The attack happened in less than a minute, a witness said. 
 
 Bill Wilson of New Harmony, Ind., said he watched from his balcony after hearing screams and splashing. The scene unfolded in the dark, about 25 feet from a light. 
 
 "I thought someone got in a fight," Wilson said."I looked over and here comes one of the lifeguards … The mother was there, and she was frantic, running up and down looking." 
 
 PICTURE GALLERY: A 2-year-old boy who was vacationing with his family was dragged by an alligator into the Seven Seas Lagoon at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa around 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 14. 
 
 Disney beaches remained closed on Wednesday. 
 
 "We are devastated and heartbroken by this tragic accident and are doing what we can to help the family during this difficult time," said George A. Kalogridis, president of Walt Disney World Resort, in a statement. 
 
 Attacks 'very rare' 
 
 Officials on Wednesday could not identify the last gator sighting on Disney property or say how many have been extracted in recent weeks. 
 
 That's because the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which generally responds to nuisance gator reports, gives Disney full autonomy in handling the problem and isn't often involved. 
 
 "We have an open partnership with them where they can just call a trapper or have a staffer take out the alligator," said Nick Wiley, executive director of the commission. "They take the action directly." 
 
 Such attacks, especially with a toddler, are "very rare," Wiley said. 
 
 After hearing the news of another fatal alligator attack, Mary Mason shuddered thinking about her brother, who died while cave diving at Blue Spring State Park in Volusia County in October. 
 
 James Okkerse, 61, of DeBary, wasn't warned about the sighting of a 12-foot alligator, nicknamed "Big Blue," the night before he came for an early-morning swim, even though signs noted the perpetual threat. 
 
 Mason, who lives in Tennessee, said policies need to change to ensure the safety of visitors at Blue Spring, Disney or anywhere gators can strike. 
 
 "The signs are not making an impact," she said. "When people come to the parks, there needs to be something that's verbal ... They day my brother died, there was no communication from the park to patrons." 
 
 Staff writer Stephanie Allen contributed to this story. 
 
 Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed the first quote. The comment came from Michael Iaccarino, Chairman and CEO of Infogroup, which is Graves' company. ||||| The body of a 2-year-old Nebraska boy who was snatched off a Walt Disney World beach by an alligator and dragged underwater was recovered Wednesday. NBC 6's Laura Rodriguez reports. (Published Friday, June 17, 2016) 
 
 The body of a 2-year-old Nebraska boy who was snatched off a Walt Disney World beach by an alligator and dragged underwater was recovered Wednesday, ending a ghastly search at one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. 
 
 Divers found the body of Lane Graves about 16 hours after authorities first got the call that a reptile had taken the boy at Seven Seas Lagoon. 
 
 Sheriff Jerry Demings said it appeared the gator drowned the child and left the body near the spot where he was last seen. An autopsy was planned. 
 
 "Of course the family was distraught, but also I believe somewhat relieved that his body was found intact," Demings said at news conference. 
 
 Body of Boy Snatched By Gator Recovered 
 
 Divers found the body of Lane Graves about 16 hours after authorities first got the call that a reptile had taken the boy at Seven Seas Lagoon. NBC 6's Laura Rodriguez reports. (Published Wednesday, June 15, 2016) 
 
 The boy's parents were identified as Matt and Melissa Graves of Elkhorn, Nebraska, a suburban area of Omaha. A family friend released a statement on behalf of the couple thanking well-wishers for their "thoughts and hope-filled prayers." 
 
 Disney World closed beaches around Seven Seas Lagoon during the search, and it was not immediately clear when they would reopen. 
 
 While "no swimming" signs are posted at the beach where the boy was attacked, no signs warn about alligators. The company representative said it would "thoroughly review the situation for the future." 
 
 Demings said his agency and the state wildlife agency would look into the issue of warning signs. The sheriff said investigators would also review whether the boy's parents should be charged, but it's not likely. 
 
 The Orange County Sheriff's Office released a photo of 2-year-old Lane Graves on behalf of his family. Lane died after being pulled under the water by an alligator in Orlando, deputies confirmed. "The Graves family appreciate the support they have received and have asked for privacy as they grieve the loss of their son," the office tweeted after releasing the photo. 
 
 Photo credit: Graves Family 
 
 "There nothing in this case to indicate that there was anything extraordinary" in terms of neglect by the parents, Demings said. 
 
 Wildlife officials said the attack was a rarity in a state with a gator population estimated at 1 million. But it still spooked visitors in a city built on tourism. 
 
 "We have been to Yellowstone and encountered grizzly bears, but this is just freaky," said Minnesota tourist John Aho, who was staying at the park with his wife, Kim, and their 12-year-old son, Johnny. 
 
 Kim Aho said their son was "a little freaked out about the gator." 
 
 Body of Boy Snatched By Gator Found: Official 
 
 The body of a 2-year-old boy who was snatched off the shore and dragged underwater by an alligator has been found, officials said Wednesday. NBC 6's Laura Rodriguez reports. (Published Wednesday, June 15, 2016) 
 
 The child had waded no more than 1 or 2 feet into the water of the lagoon around nightfall Tuesday when he was taken from a small beach, authorities said. 
 
 The boy's father desperately tried to fight off the gator, suffering lacerations on a hand, but he could not save his son. Neither could a nearby lifeguard, officials said. 
 
 No other alligator attacks have been reported on the man-made lake, according to Demings. 
 
 Some visitors were surprised to learn the reptiles lived on the property. 
 
 Sheriff Identifies Boy Who Died in Gator Attack 
 
 The Orlando sheriff on Wednesday identified the boy who was dragged away by an alligator in Disney World in Orlando, Florida. (Published Wednesday, June 15, 2016) 
 
 "My question is why are there alligators in there?" said Michelle Stone, who lives near Detroit and was visiting Disney for 10 days with her two children. 
 
 A Disney spokeswoman did not immediately return a message seeking comment. The sheriff said the company has a wildlife management system and has "worked diligently to ensure their guests are not unduly exposed to wildlife here in this area." 
 
 Nick Wiley with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said witnesses estimated that the alligator was 4 feet to 7 feet long. 
 
 The beach where the reptile grabbed the child is part of the luxury Grand Floridian resort, across the lake from Disney's Magic Kingdom theme park. The lake stretches over about 200 acres and reaches a depth of 14 feet. It feeds into a series of canals that wind through the entire Disney property. 
 
 More than 50 law enforcement personnel searched the well-tended lagoon along with an alligator tracker and marine units equipped with sonar to search the lake's sandy, mostly flat bottom. 
 
 Though Florida has grown to the nation's third-most populous state, fatal alligator attacks remain rare. Since 1973, 23 people have been killed by wild alligators in Florida, according to data compiled by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 
 
 The grim news was only the latest for a city buffeted by tragedy in the past few days. 
 
 On Sunday, a gunman opened fire at a gay nightclub in Orlando, leaving 49 people dead in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. On Friday night, Christina Grimmie, 22, a contestant on season six of "The Voice," was fatally shot as she signed autographs after a show in Orlando. 
 
 Orlando Sheriff: Gator Attack ‘Not Survivable’ 
 
 Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings says some 50 people are now "working on recovering the body" of a 2-year-old boy snatched by an alligator at Walt Disney World. (Published Wednesday, June 15, 2016) 
 
 Copyright Associated Press / NBC 6 South Florida
– The family of Lane Graves, the 2-year-old killed by an alligator at Walt Disney World on Tuesday, released a statement Thursday, staying it's "devastated" by his death. "Words cannot describe the shock and grief our family is experiencing over the loss of our son," ABC News quotes Matt and Melissa Graves as saying in the statement. They offered their "deepest gratitude" to authorities and staff who worked to find their son after the attack. The family was hanging out on the beach at Seven Seas Lagoon near Disney World's Grand Floridian Resort when Lane was grabbed by an alligator and dragged underwater. His body was found Wednesday. On Thursday, the medical examiner announced Lane died from drowning and traumatic injuries, CNN reports. Disney also released a statement Thursday, promising to install alligator warning signs. “We are conducting a swift and thorough review of all of our processes and protocols," the Orlando Sentinel quotes the statement as saying. "This includes the number, placement, and wording of our signage and warnings." The only warning signs currently placed around the Seven Seas Lagoon read "no swimming please." Since the attack on Lane, a number of tourists have come forward about seeing alligators at Disney World. Disney was sued in 1986 after an alligator bit a child at its Fort Wilderness campground.