Identified: Body of Florida Teenager Surrounded by Alligators

The body of a male teenager found surrounded by alligators in Florida has been identified.

Alligators were seen dragging the body of 16-year-old Jarvis Deliford on July 4 near a lake in St. Petersburg, reported the Tampa Bay Times. Otis Crawford and Patricia Kays stumbled on the scene that morning.

Full story from today. Deliford’s sister: “Jarvis did not deserve that. Jarvis was not a nasty-hearted person.” @TB_Timeshttps://t.co/1dGlU8mxCr

— Sam Ogozalek (@SamOgozalek) July 6, 2019

“It was hard to tell if it was a person or animal,” Crawford told the newspaper. “I got out of the car to make sure I was seeing what I was seeing.”

Lt. Matthew Furse of the St. Petersburg Police Department said that the cause of death has not been determined, but there “appeared to be no sign of foul play or homicide,” according to WTSP News. Officials later said that there were “signs of alligator involvement.”

RIP, JARVIS | This is 16-year-old Jarvis Deliford. His body was found in the mangroves near Lake Maggiore in St. Petersburg, where several alligators were spotted.

What we know: https://t.co/x5uPzHOF1W pic.twitter.com/lCV8uGftsP

— 10News WTSP (@10NewsWTSP) July 6, 2019

Deliford’s family says they are skeptical about his death.

“He don’t go to no beaches, he don’t play around water because he don’t know how to swim,” his older sister Laporsha Smalls told WTSP.

Missing Since June

The Tampa Bay Times reported that Deliford had run away from home on June 29 after returning from a juvenile detention center. He had been serving time after violating probation related to a previous arrest.

On Saturday, Deliford jumped out of the second-floor window of his mother’s home after cutting off his ankle monitor, which alerted the police of his disappearance.

“Jarvis did a lot of wrong, but Jarvis did not deserve that. Jarvis was not no nasty hearted person,” his sister told WTSP. “And I just hope we find justice for Jarvis.”

According to the the police’s spokeswoman, the body will provide an answer: “It would have to be a medical examiner determination to see if the gators came before or after,” Yolanda Fernandez said in an interview with WTSP.

Police also said on Facebook that because of the “condition of the body,” a medical examiner is required to determine the cause of death.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) said it has trapped two alligators that will be examined for human remains, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Investigation & GoFundMe Underway

The St. Petersburg Police Department is requesting that anyone with information about the case contact them.

Deliford’s family told Spectrum News 9 that they will need help paying for his funeral since he did not have insurance. They said they will create a GoFundMe in case anyone wants to donate.

St. Pete Police ID body found in Lake Maggiore on July 4 as 16-year-old Jarvis Deliford. Authorities said there are no obvious signs of foul play, however detectives are awaiting an official autopsy report to determine a cause of death. https://t.co/mJPVUoy5Om

— Spectrum Bay News 9 (@BN9) July 6, 2019

Fatal alligator attacks are rare, according to data collected from the FFWCC, USA Today reported.

Two fatalities and 84 alligator attacks were reported in the 8-year period between from 2007 to 2015.

“The only time we have a situation of serious concern is when someone has been feeding an alligator,” Ricky Flynt, alligator program coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, told USA Today. “They begin to lose their fear of humans and associate them with a source of food.”