A Florida woman was killed in a horrifying alligator attack that left her husband helpless to save her

A peaceful canoe trip in central Florida went horribly wrong for this married couple.

The couple came across a giant alligator while paddling near Tiger Creek.

And a Florida woman was killed in a horrifying alligator attack that left her husband helpless to save her.

The deadly attack happened Tuesday afternoon, May 6, 2025, when 61-year-old Cynthia Diekema and her husband were paddling near Tiger Creek where it dumps into the western part of Lake Kissimmee in Polk County.

Just another day on Florida waters – until it wasn’t.

Around 4 p.m., their canoe drifted over a gator that was just lying there in the shallow water. 

Big mistake.

The beast didn’t take kindly to being disturbed. 

It flipped their canoe like it was nothing, tossing both Diekema and her husband into the two-foot-deep shallow water.

Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Diekema, who’d been sitting up front, landed right on top of the gator. 

You can imagine what happened next.

Her husband fought like hell to save her – but what can you really do against a prehistoric predator in its own territory? 

The gator dragged his wife underwater as he watched helplessly.

On Wednesday, May 7, 2025, authorities finally identified the victim as Cynthia Diekema from Davenport, Florida. 

A Polk County Sheriff’s helicopter spotted her body in the water – what was left of it, anyway. 

FWC officers brought her remains back by boat.

Wildlife folks trapped the killer gator and it stretched a massive 11 feet and 4 inches long, according to NBC South Florida. 

They put it down, of course.

FWC Executive Director Roger Young gave the usual spiel about how sorry they were while promising a full investigation.

Young mentioned that fatal alligator attacks don’t happen much, but when they do, they remind us just how unpredictable and deadly these creatures can be.

Not exactly comforting if you’re planning a canoe trip anytime soon.

The attack comes right in the middle of gator mating season, which runs April through June. 

During these months, these prehistoric monsters get territorial and mean, especially around waterways where they’re looking to make baby gators.

And this isn’t the only gator trouble brewing in Florida right now.

Down in Ocala National Forest, wildlife folks had to shut down a popular waterway after a monster 14-foot “bull gator” started attacking kayakers and canoeists in Juniper Springs. 

Nobody’s been hurt there – yet – but officials weren’t taking any chances.

“To help prevent human interaction and disruption, the Forest Supervisor and Ocala district ranger decided to give this alligator his space for the time being,” the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement that basically translates to “stay the heck away.”

Frank Robb, who runs Environmental Education Awareness Research Support Services, told Fox 35 why these gators might be getting more aggressive.

“It’s the warmest time of the year, and these animals are cold-blooded. It’s their most active time of the year,” Robb told Fox 35. “When you’re dealing with an area that’s a high-public use area, it’s usually people that’s caused the problem so its animals picking up scraps or things left behind.”

In other words, humans are probably part of the problem.  

FWC wants everybody in Florida – locals and tourists alike – to be extra careful around water right now. 

Sure, those gators might look lazy sunning themselves on the bank, but they can move faster than you’d believe when they want to.

And they can kill you in a heartbeat, as poor Cynthia Diekema found out the hard way.

So if you’re thinking about a nice paddle through gator country anytime soon, maybe reconsider. 

Or at least keep your eyes peeled and give those prehistoric beasts a wide berth. 

They were here first, after all.