Authorities kill alligator after woman's remains were found lodged inside reptile's jaw

The body of a woman in her 60s was found lodged in the jaws of an alligator in Houston Tuesday morning, police said.

The remains of the unidentified woman were discovered around 8:40 a.m. in the mouth of the reptile, which was wandering around in the Horsepen Bayou, the Houston Police Department said in a news release. Officers were searching for a woman who was reported missing at the time of the incident, according to the department.

A Houston police sergeant shot the alligator to prevent the animal from "doing more damage to the remains," the department said.

Houston police's dive team responded to the area and recovered the remains and alligator from the bayou, according to the release.

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences is in the process of conducting an autopsy to determine the woman's cause of death and identity, police said.

'It's a little scary'

Angela Derous, who fished in the bayou Tuesday night, told KTRK that alligators "live down there."

"We see 8 feet, 10 feet babies," Derous said. "I know which banks to stay away from and where they like to lay in the sun. That's the first time I've heard of that happening down here. It's a little scary."

Being killed by an alligator is a rarity in Texas, as the last reported incident hasn't occurred since 2015. A 28-year-old man was killed by an alligator while swimming in the Adams Bayou in Orange, Texas, KTRK reported. This would mark the first fatal attack in more than 90 years, according to the Houston-based TV station.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alligator found in Houston, Texas found with woman's remains in jaw