US police using boats, divers and a helicopter have recovered the body of a two-year-old boy who was grabbed by an alligator in front of his family during a vacation at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, officials said.
The child was snatched by the alligator as he played at the water's edge last night and dragged into a lagoon despite his parents' effort to save him.
Officials told a news conference the boy's body had been found and was intact.
The alligator was believed to be between 1.2 and 2 metres long (4 to 7ft) long.
Wildlife officials earlier caught and killed five alligators from the lagoon to examine them for traces of the boy but found no evidence they were involved, said Nick Wiley, head of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The resort closed its beaches and recreational marinas as search teams had scoured the Seven Seas Lagoon, a man-made lake reaching 4.2m (14ft) in depth.
There are "no swimming" signs at the lagoon but the alligator grabbed the boy as he played at the edge of the water while his family relaxed nearby on the shore, sheriff's spokesman Jeff Williamson said at an earlier news conference.
The boy's father rushed into the water after the alligator struck and struggled to wrestle his child from the alligator's grasp, Mr Williamson said.
"The father did his best," Mr Williamson said.
"He tried to rescue the child, however, to no avail."
The family, which was vacationing from Nebraska, was not named.
The father suffered minor cuts on his arm in the struggle, Mr Williamson said.
Authorities said the boy's mother also tried to rescue him.
A lifeguard who was on duty by the lagoon also was unable to reach the boy in time, he said.
"The gator swam away with the child," Mr Williamson said.
Dozens of sheriff's deputies and wildlife officials searched for the boy using sonar technology, helicopters and divers.
Alligators are not uncommon in the Seven Seas Lagoon Mr Wiley told reporters.
The wildlife commission works with the resort to remove "nuisance alligators" when they are reported, Mr Wiley said.
Despite the prevalence of alligators in fresh water around Florida, he said it was very rare for humans to be attacked.
A spokeswoman for Walt Disney World Resort said everyone there was devastated by the tragic accident. "Our thoughts are with the family and we are helping the family," she said.
