Toddler found dead after alligator attack

(AAP)
(AAP)

Police have recovered the body of a two-year-old boy after an alligator dragged him into a lagoon in front of his family during a vacation at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings confirmed at a press conference the boy's body had been found and identified.

"At about 3.30 today we recovered the remains of the two-year-old from the water and that body has now been turned over to the Orange county medical examiners office for an autopsy," he said.

The boy was snatched near Disney's Grand Floridian Hotel on Tuesday night (local time).

The family, on vacation from Nebraska, were relaxing on a beach and sand area when the alligator came up and grabbed the child.

The father entered the water of the Seven Seas Lagoon to try and wrestle his son away from the alligator but was unsuccessful.

The boy's mother also entered the water in a rescue attempt, before a lifeguard was alerted.

Witness reports say the alligator was somewhere between one and a half and two long.

Wildlife officials had earlier caught and killed five alligators from the lagoon to examine them for traces of the boy, but found no evidence they were involved.

The resort closed its beaches and recreational marinas on Wednesday as search teams had scoured the Seven Seas Lagoon -- a man-made lake.

The family, who were on vacation from Nebraska, has not been named.

Dozens of police and wildlife officials used sonar technology, helicopters and a team of divers to search for the boy.

Newshub.