Utterly terrifying final moments of woman knocked out of canoe and killed by alligator in front of her husband

Daily Mail​

08-05-2025

The terrifying final moments of a Florida grandmother who was knocked out of a canoe and mauled to death by an 11-foot-long alligator as her husband watched in horror have been revealed.
Cynthia Diekema, of Davenport, Florida, was enjoying a day on Lake Kissimmee with her husband Dave Diekema on Tuesday when the couple paddled over an alligator in shallow water.
Wildlife officials revealed the couple's 14-foot canoe was in just two feet of water when the alligator suddenly thrashed beneath them.
The alligator caused the couple's canoe to flip, pulling them both into the water as the grandmother fell directly on top of the beast.
This triggered the reptile to fatally attack the woman, while her horrified husband desperately attempted to save his wife.
Emergency services were called to the scene at around 4pm and spotted the victim floating in the water.
She was recovered from the lake and pronounced dead at the scene, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission said.
A radio call obtained by WKMG detailed her husband's desperate struggle to save his wife.
A woman has been killed by an alligator while canoeing with her husband on a Florida lake
'Gator grabbed her out of the canoe,' the officer said. '[Her husband] tried to fight the gator off. We're at the last place he saw her. He left the paddle here where he last saw her.'
Although a fatal alligator attack is a highly rare occurrence, this was the second alligator attack at the same lake within two months - raising concerns among locals.
Now, multiple alligators linked to the attack have been captured by trappers, but authorities must determine which reptile was responsible for the woman's death.
Officials revealed they will examine the stomach contents of the captured alligators as part of their investigation, according to WFTV.
Dikema's latest Instagram post - a collage of recent happy photos alongside her husband - has been filled with emotional tributes and condolences in the comments.
Beneath images of the couple's recent vacation, showing them smiling and enjoying life together, mourners have left messages expressing their shock and grief.
'You seemed like a genuine, beautiful soul. How lucky you were to live such a fun and rich life for decades, but how terrible it is to lose it in such a way,' wrote one follower.
'Even more terrible that you were so loved, so cherish that your death will affect so many of those around you. May God watch over your family, may you find the peace that you deserve, and may the memory of your light never dim.'
Another commented: 'So sad. Thoughts and prayers for your girls and granddaughter. I was always terrified of them when we lived down there.'
Nearby camper Taylor Stokes, who has lived in the area for over 40 years, expressed his condolences while acknowledging the risk of the gators, saying he even 'looks twice' before stepping into his bathtub.
'I've been living here 40-something years, and everyone knows you don't get in no pond, no lake, no nothing. I look twice before stepping in the bathtub,' Stokes said to WESH 2.
'My heart goes out to the family. Tragic accident.'
A nuisance alligator trapper was dispatched to the area in accordance with the Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP) which deals with alligators which are deemed a danger to people, animals or property.
It comes just months after another alligator attacked another woman in the same area near Lake Kissmimee.
On March 3 a woman was left with injuries after she was bitten on the elbow.
The FWC has advice for alligator safety which recommends keeping a safe distance if one is spotted.
Swimmers should keep to designated areas and avoid swimming at night or with pets, which should also be kept on a leash and away from the water's edge.
Feeding alligators is illegal and strongly advised against by the FWC which warns the practice can lead to gators losing their natural reticence and becoming a nuisance.