The human remains found inside a 12-foot alligator’s stomach belong to a man who went missing in Hurricane Ida floodwaters on Aug. 30, a Louisiana coroner said this week.
Timothy Satterlee Sr., 71, was attacked by the gator last month outside their home in the city of Slidell, his wife, who witnessed the attack, previously told authorities.
Nearly two weeks after the attack, authorities captured the alligator believed to be responsible for the attack in the Avery Estates area near Slidell, a city on Lake Pontchartrain across from New Orleans, according to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Once euthanized, the alligator’s stomach contents revealed human remains. On Thursday, St. Tammany Parish Coroner Dr. Charles Preston confirmed in a news release that the remains belong to Satterlee.
The coroner’s office used DNA samples extracted from the remain’s tissue and compared those to samples from Satterlee’s sons. Investigators were able to make an 11-point DNA match with Satterlee’s children.
“For legal purposes, a 16-point match is the general standard,” Preston said in the release. “In this case, given the circumstances, I am satisfied that an 11-point match confirms these are Mr. Satterlee’s remains.”
Preston said they’ve also acquired hair and other samples from Satterlee’s home and will try to make a full DNA match.
“We offer our sympathies to Mr. Satterlee’s family as they continue to deal with this tragic loss,” he said.
Hurricane Ida caused widespread flooding and knocked out power and phone service in southeastern Louisiana when it made landfall on Aug. 29.
Authorities said Satterlee’s wife heard a splash and walked outside their home to see the alligator attacking her husband. She managed to pull her severely injured husband to the steps of their home.
She used a small boat to reach higher ground to get help. But when she and deputies returned to the house, Satterlee was gone.
The Associated Press contributed.