A woman who disappeared while walking her dogs near a lake in Miami, Florida on Friday was bitten and likely killed by an alligator that was later captured, wildlife officials said. A necropsy confirmed the alligator bit Shizuka Matsuki, 47, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said in a statement. They believe Matsuki was killed and were searching for her body. Commission spokesman Rob Klepper said they were able to positively identify the woman from evidence collected from the necropsy of the alligator, but he wouldn’t specifically say what that evidence was. A witness told authorities he saw the woman walking two dogs and then noticed the dogs alone, barking near the water. One of the dogs had a fresh injury, a gash on its side, said police detective Viviana Gallinal. The witness called police when he couldn’t find the woman, Gallinal said. Earlier news media reports indicated the witness reported seeing the gator drag the woman into the water. Police did not immediately clarify the discrepancy. Trappers have spotted a 12-foot (3.5-meter) alligator in the pond in Silver Lakes Rotary Nature Park, she said. Jim Borrelli, a friend of Matsuki, said she and her husband have walked their dogs in the park previously. The couple did not live in the neighbourhood, but he said she liked to find different places to walk the dogs. Residents said they often saw her walking them in the area. Alligators are opportunistic feeders that will eat what is readily available and easily overpowered. Feeding wild alligators is illegal because they could lose their fear of humans. Fatal attacks on humans remain rare, however. According to the wildlife commission, the likelihood of being seriously injured during an unprovoked alligator incident in Florida is roughly only 1 in 3.2 million. From 1948 to 2017, the commission has documented 401 people bitten by alligators, including 24 fatalities. The most recent death occurred in 2016, when a two-year-old boy playing near the water’s edge at a Walt Disney World resort was killed. Alligators and humans frequently cross paths in Florida, as people increasingly seek waterfront homes and recreation. The large reptiles can be found in fresh and brackish bodies of water — including lakes, rivers, canals and golf course ponds — and there is roughly 6.7m acres of suitable habitat statewide. They are particularly active during their mating season in May and June.<doc-sep>An alligator warning was issued to residents of a South Florida homeowners association two days before a 47-year-old woman was attacked and killed by an alligator, according to a report. The Isla del Sol Homeowners Association in Plantation reportedly issued the wildlife alert on Wednesday in an email that urged residents to "exercise caution with our families and pets, mindful that alligators, snakes, and other wildlife may be in the area." The alert was sent out after authorities trapped a 6-foot alligator near a resident's front door, the South Florida Sun-Sentinal reported. It was not immediately known if Shizuka Matsuki received the email before she went out to walk her two dogs Friday morning at Silver Lakes Rotary Nature Park in Davie near Matsuki's home. A passerby saw Matsuki's with her dogs near the shoreline about 9:45 a.m. Friday, police said. A short time later, the passerby called 911 to report seeing Matsuki's dogs alone and barking, including one that appeared to have been bitten by a gator, according to police. Police and wildlife experts immediately launched a search for Matsuki in the area of water channels and ponds about 25 miles north of Miami and suspected the worst when a large gator was spotted swimming in the area. Gator hunters were dispatched to the scene and captured and killed an alligator measuring 12 feet 6 inches. When the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission performed a necropsy on the reptile, they found Matsuki's arm, identified by a tattoo, in the gator's stomach, officials said. Matsuki's body was discovered just before 10 p.m. Friday at the Silver Lakes Rotary Natural Park pond, said Robert Klepper, spokesman for the commission.<doc-sep>
Shizuka Matsuki, 47, disappeared after she was bitten by an alligator. The body of a missing Florida woman, who is believed to have died after she was bitten by an alligator, has been found, authorities said. Search teams located the body of Shizuka Matsuki, 47, Friday night in a lake at the Silver Lakes Rotary Nature Park in Davie, a town 25 miles north of Miami, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). "The FWC will be conducting a thorough investigation into this incident," FWC Public Information Officer Rob Klepper told ABC News in a statement Saturday morning. "We would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Ms. Matsuki." Signage warning of possible alligators in any area is not required by Florida law, Klepper said. Relatives of Matsuki could not be reached for comment Saturday. Matsuki, who lived in the nearby city of Plantation, was seen by a witness walking two dogs near the lake at the park on Friday before she suddenly vanished. The dogs were found by themselves, and one of them was injured, according to the FWC. A 12-foot, 6-inch alligator was later removed from the lake by a trapper hired by the FWC. An initial necropsy on the massive reptile indicated it had bitten the woman, the FWC said. Residents in the area told ABC station WPLG that an alligator is known to roam the park's lake. One woman said she let her poodle out into the backyard last winter and the dog never returned. Florida is teeming with more than 1 million gators, but only a dozen or so bites are recorded each year, according to statistics from the FWC. Fatal alligator attacks are rare. ABC News' Julia Jacobo contributed to this report.