A South Carolina woman has died saving her dog from an alligator.
Police were called to the scene after a witness said the 45-year-old woman was dragged under at popular tourist destination, Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.
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After recovering her body they identified her as Cassandra Cline, her dog was unharmed.
"It appears the alligator went after her dog and she tried to protect it," Sam Chappalear of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources told local media.
A representative from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources confirmed to 7 News the alligator they believed to be behind the attack was captured and killed.
Alligators typically roll their victim beneath the water's surface until their prey stops breathing, before stashing the body to eat later.
The last alligator related death in the states was in June when a Florida woman was killed by an almost four-metre long alligator.
Newshub.
