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Human remains found in the stomach of a 12-foot alligator belong to a man who went missing in the floodwaters of Hurricane Ida on August 30, a Louisiana coroner said this week.
Timothy Satterlee Sr., 71, was attacked by the alligator last month outside their home in the town of Slidell, his wife, who witnessed the attack, previously told authorities.
Nearly two weeks after the attack, authorities captured the alligator suspected of being responsible for the attack in the Avery Estates area near Slidell, a town on Lake Pontchartrain across from New Orleans, according to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Once euthanized, the contents of the alligator’s stomach revealed human remains. St. Tammany Parish Coroner Dr. Charles Preston on Thursday confirmed in a press release that the remains belonged to Satterlee.
The coroner’s office used DNA samples extracted from body tissue and compared them to samples from Satterlee’s sons. Investigators succeeded in establishing an 11-point DNA match with Satterlee’s children.
“For legal reasons, a 16-point game is the general norm,” Preston said in the statement. “In this case, given the circumstances, I have no doubts that an 11-point game confirms that these are Mr. Satterlee’s remains.”
Preston said they also acquired hair and other samples from Satterlee’s house and will try to make a full DNA match.
“We offer our condolences to Mr. Satterlee’s family as they continue to face this tragic loss,” he said.
Hurricane Ida caused widespread flooding and cut power and telephone services in southeast Louisiana when it made landfall on August 29.
Authorities said Satterlee’s wife heard splashing and came out of their house to see the alligator attacking her husband. She managed to drag her seriously injured husband to the steps of their house.
She used a small boat to reach higher ground for help. But when she and her deputies returned home, Satterlee was gone.
The Associated Press contributed.
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