Officials Confirm Massive Alligator Ate Louisiana Man After Hurricane Ida

The remains found inside a giant alligator belong to Timothy Satterlee, a Louisiana coroner confirmed Thursday during a press conference.

Satterlee went missing after his wife witnessed him getting attacked by the massive creature in August. After she returned from trying to get help, he was nowhere to be found.

According to WAFB, DNA from the remains found inside the gator were matched with that of Satterlee's children.

Authorities in Louisiana have captured and killed the alligator suspected of eating Timothy Satterlee Sr.

St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's deputies with the Special Operation Division, along with U. S. and Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries agents, said they snared a monstrous 12-foot long reptile, weighing a "startling" 504lbs.

"Sheriff Smith vowed from the beginning of the investigation into Satterlee's disappearance that the agency would use all of the resources and manpower available to bring some sort of closure to the family," the Sheriff's office wrote in a Facebook update on Monday, claiming agents had been scouring the water for three weeks.

After spotting the beast a week ago, they laid traps, eventually capturing it on Monday morning.

"Once the alligator was searched, it was discovered to have what appears to be human remains inside its stomach," the department wrote.

Investigators will now work with the St. Tammany Parish Coroner's Office to verify those remains belong to Timothy Satterlee.

"This is a horrible tragedy and my sincere condolences and sympathy goes to the Satterlee family," Sheriff Smith said. "I know todays findings does not bring their loved one back, but hopefully this can bring them some sort of closure."

"I am very proud of the hard, non-stop work, of my deputies and the other agencies who assisted, and I hope their persistence in finding this alligator will help the family with coping with their loss. We will continue to keep them in our prayers."

She managed to fight it off and drag him inside — but when she returned from seeking help in a boat, he was gone.

A Louisiana man who survived Hurricane Ida was "attacked and apparently killed" in the floodwaters by an alligator — right in front of his wife.

The 71-year-old man had waded into 4-ft of water on the ground level of his home in Avery Estates, Slidell on Monday, and was making his way outside to check on his shed. His wife, who is in her 60s, said she suddenly heard a commotion outside; she followed him out to see him in the jaws of a large alligator.

The brave woman immediately ran to his side and even managed to fight off the reptile, before allegedly dragging her husband back onto the steps. She called 911, but because of a problem with the emergency system, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office were not able to respond immediately.

She quickly gathered what first aid supplies she could find, but realizing how badly he was injured, she decided to jump into her canoe and head to higher ground, a mile away, to go get help.

But when she got back — her husband was gone.

"When deputies got out there, they noticed a large amount of blood and learned from his spouse that the body was no longer present," STPSO said.

Deputies began searching the area in high water vehicles and flatboats, but so far have been unable to locate him. It is still being treated as a missing persons investigation, though their report says the man was "attacked and apparently killed."

"Sheriff Randy Smith warns residents to be extra vigilant with walking in flooded areas as wildlife has been displaced as well during this storm and alligators and other animals may have moved closer into neighborhoods," the office warned.

Hurricane Ida has devastated the region, causing an estimated $80 billion worth of damage and claiming at least five lives so far since making landfall on Sunday. It is the second most intense hurricane to ever hit Louisiana, behind only 2005's Hurricane Katrina.

CBS This Morning shared a harrowing interview with a Good Samaritan who desperately tried to save a stranger he found inside a fully submerged car — but it was too late.

"I probably did CPR on him for about 20, 30 minutes before any help got out, but he didn't make it," he said.

In neighboring Mississippi, two people were killed and 10 more injured after part of a highway washed away Monday night near the town of Lucedale, plunging seven cars into a 50ft hole.

"I've never seen anything in my 23 years in law enforcement like this," Trooper Cal Robertson told CNN.

On top of the deaths, damage and power outages, police are also having to deal with widespread looting, while health officials have warned the conditions have created the "perfect petri dish" for the spread of Coronavirus.

Residents are also facing a massive surge in fuel prices, with 95 percent of Gulf Coast refineries now shut down.