Hunters Find Human Remains Inside Alligator Captured Near Lagoon Where Missing Boy’s Body Was Recovered

Hunters in Lacombe, across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans, recovered what appeared to be human remains inside the belly of an alligator they captured Tuesday near a lagoon where authorities earlier dredged the battered body of 12-year-old Bryan Vasquez.

The remains were turned over to the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office, which will conduct DNA testing to determine whether they match Vasquez, who was found on Aug. 26 after being missing for nearly two weeks. Police had dispatched teams to remove so-called “nuisance” alligators from waterways after Vasquez disappeared and his body was recovered from a lagoon close to his family’s home.

Vasquez, who was autistic and nonverbal, was last seen on Aug. 14 on surveillance footage walking past his family’s front stoop wearing only an adult diaper after slipping out an unsecured window, police said. His mutilated body was found on Aug. 26 in a lagoon near the home in New Orleans. Authorities have said the child was attacked and killed by an alligator.

In the wake of the discovery, wildlife control teams and licensed hunters were sent to remove large alligators from ponds, lagoons and other waterways in the area to both reduce immediate public risk and try to identify the animal responsible. A group of hunters operating in Lacombe captured and gutted an alligator Tuesday and reported finding what appeared to be the upper remains of a person inside the animal.

Those remains were handed to officials for forensic examination, and investigators have said they will await DNA confirmation before drawing further conclusions about whether the gator contained parts of Vasquez. The Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office has custody of the remains as the investigation continues.

Police have also pursued criminal charges related to the circumstances surrounding the boy’s care. Vasquez’s mother, Hilda Vasquez, was arrested and charged with second-degree cruelty to juveniles and negligent homicide. Authorities noted she had a prior 2013 conviction for abusing the child when he was an infant; court records and prior reporting indicate he suffered severe injuries as a baby, including a skull fracture and traumatic brain injury. The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services previously removed the boy from her custody after that conviction; it was not immediately clear when he was returned to her care. Hilda Vasquez could face up to 20 years in prison and is due to appear at a bond hearing next week.

Alligator attacks on humans are rare but can occur where people and large reptiles share close quarters, particularly in coastal and wetland states such as Louisiana. Local authorities often respond to attacks by removing individual animals deemed a threat and increasing public messaging about safety near water. In this case, officials described the captured animals as “nuisance” alligators and said removal operations were intended to protect residents and to determine whether any captured animal was the predator involved in Vasquez’s death.

Environmental and land-use factors shape where and how frequently people encounter alligators. Urban waterways, lagoons and marsh edges near residential neighborhoods can become sites of human-wildlife conflict when animals use those habitats and people recreate, walk pets, or live nearby. Authorities did not link any broader environmental change to this incident, and investigators are focused on the criminal and forensic aspects of the case.

Investigators from local police and the coroner’s office continue to process evidence from the lagoon and the captured animals. Officials have said DNA results and further forensic work will guide the next steps in the probe, including whether any of the removed alligators were responsible for the attack.

The case has prompted renewed attention to safety around waterways in the New Orleans area and to procedures for managing large reptiles that may pose threats to people. As forensic testing proceeds and criminal proceedings move forward, authorities have asked the public to defer to investigators and wildlife professionals for updates and guidance.