Woman killed after canoe flips and she lands on top of an alligator, FL cops say
.jpeg "A Florida woman was canoeing in Lake Kissimmee when she was flipped into the water and bitten by a large alligator (not the one pictured), Florida investigators say.")
A Florida woman was killed after the canoe she was in with her husband flipped and she landed on top of an 11-foot alligator, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Cynthia Diekema, 61, of Davenport was near the mouth of Tiger Creek in Lake Kissimmee when it happened around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6, officials said during a May 7 news conference.
“A husband and wife were canoeing in a 14-foot canoe in approximately two and a half feet of water. Their canoe passed over a large alligator, the alligator thrashed and tipped the canoe over and both individuals ended up in the water,” FWC officials said.
“The female victim ... was sitting in the bow of the canoe at the time of the incident. She ended up on top of the alligator in the water and was bitten. Her husband attempted to intervene, but was unsuccessful.”
The alligator then “pulled her underwater,” officials said.
Diekema’s body was spotted in the lake later Tuesday by a Polk County Sheriff’s Office helicopter and was recovered by the FWC, officials said.
Trappers were sent to search the Tiger Creek area for the alligator involved in the attack. An 11-foot, 4-inch gator matching the predator’s description was captured Tuesday night, and a second alligator in the 10- to 11-foot range was trapped Wednesday, officials said.
An investigation is ongoing, including testing on the alligators to confirm which was involved, officials said.
It is suspected the alligator’s actions were defensive rather than predatory, due to it being “startled” by contact with the canoe, officials said.
Lake Kissimmee covers 31,383 acres in Central Florida, and travel sites report it is among the state’s “10 most alligator-infested lakes.”
FWC officials note “serious injuries caused by alligators are rare” in the state.
A recently published study by scientists at the University of Florida and Centre College in Kentucky reports “risky human behavior, not aggression by alligators, is the leading cause of alligator bites.”
“Researchers found that in 96% of recorded incidents, some form of human inattention or risk-taking preceded the attack. The findings show how alligator bites are not random; they’re preventable,” the University of Florida said in a blog.
This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 10:11 AM with the headline "Woman killed after canoe flips and she lands on top of an alligator, FL cops say."