The body of a man identified as Timothy Satterlee Sr, 71, has been found inside a  504-pound alligator by a Louisiana coroner. It is being said that Timothy went missing while walking in floodwaters following Hurricane Ida.

“Satterlee was attacked by the alligator on August 30 outside his Slidell home,” his wife previously told authorities. On noting the extent of his injuries, she went to get help but found him missing when she returned. 

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s office announced last week the alligator had been captured in the similar area where Satterlee went missing.

Dr. Charles Preston, the coroner for the parish, on Friday, told CNN, “Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries tracked the animal down, euthanised it and found human remains inside.”

“Then our office was notified and I actually went out there with our investigators,” Preston added, talking about how after som safety preparations, they began to recover the remains.

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An 11-point match to DNA from Satterlee’s children was found in the DNA samples from the remains. The coroner ruled on the identity based on the DNA match as well as the “totality of the circumstances.”

“That the alligator was recovered from where he [Satterlee] was last seen, and that it was that close of a match, I felt comfortable for the family’s standard to say yes, this is Mr. Satterlee, yes, we are going to issue a death certificate, and yes, you can begin that process of trying to settle the estate,” Preston said. 

He expressed his gratitude to the local authorities who relentlessly searched for the alligator. If the person goes missing for five years, Louisiana law allows a coroner’s office to declare them presumed dead.

“You can imagine the burden that would put on his widow to try and manage the affairs,” Preston said.