South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Construction workers found the dismembered body of a Davie woman on Wednesday who was attacked by an alligator after she went out for a nightly jog, authorities say.

The body of Yovy Suarez Jimenez, 28, was found floating in a canal between Markham County Park and State Road 84 in Sunrise, police Lt. Robert Voss said.

"We have witnesses and we have physical evidence to support our theory that the young lady was dragged into the water and attacked," said Officer Jorge Pino, spokesman for the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. "But, that's a theory. We may never know. The possibility also exists that she might have fallen in."

Unidentified witnesses told investigators that a woman matching Jimenez's description was seen dangling her feet over the water's edge. But Pino said no one actually saw the attack.

Whether Jimenez drowned or died from her injuries won't be determined until an autopsy is performed today.

Being killed by an alligator is extremely rare. There have only been 25 fatal alligator attacks in Florida since 1948 and none in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, according to the Wildlife Commission.

"We don't know if this young lady was actually feeding the gator or not," Pino said. "But, we do know that once the alligator starts to lose its natural fear of humans it starts to perceive the human as a food source."

That is why tossing breadcrumbs or other food scraps at the reptiles is a crime, officials said.