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Father: 2 Gators Involved In Deadly Attack On Toddler At Disney

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LAKE BUENA VISTA (CBSMiami) -- The father of the toddler killed at a Disney resort by an alligator told rescue officials that there were actually two gators involved in the attack, according to emails from the Reedy Creek Fire Department.

Matt Graves said a second alligator attacked him as he tried to fight off the first animal that was pulling his two-year-old son, Lane Graves, into the Seven Seas Lagoon at the Grand Floridian Resort.

Officials said Graves refused to leave the area as rescuers searched the waters for the child, despite needing stitches and antibiotics from the gator's bites. Though, he was eventually persuaded to seek medical attention on the promise that he'd return.

On the way to the hospital, Graves shared "the horror that he experienced" as the toddler was dragged into the water and "how another gator attacked him as he fought for his son," the email stated.

The boy's body was later found underwater about 15 yards from the shore.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials were "confident" that they caught the alligator that killed him.

Agency records listed 15 alligators caught on Disney property from the beginning of this year through May. It didn't include the six trapped since the June 14 attack.

Signs posted in the area advised against swimming but did not warn of alligators. Disney said they're reviewing their signage and have since put up signs warning of both alligators and snakes.

The lake, which stretches over about 200 acres and reaches a depth of 14 feet, feeds into a series of canals that wind through the entire Disney property.

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