Florida cops are trying to determine whether the gator killed a man or the body was already in the lake when the reptile found it.
Florida police have pulled a man's body from a lake, where witnesses saw a gator with the remains in its teeth, authorities said.
When cops arrived at Lake Hunter in Lakeland Tuesday, the body was in the water and the alligator was nearby, according to Lakeland Police Sgt. Gary Gross, CBS affiliate WTSP-TV reported.
Police said the body appeared to have been in the water for more than a day. On Saturday, police were notified of a shirt floating in the water, and of a backpack and pair of pants left near a boat ramp.
Officers didn't find a body or a gator when responding to that call, authorities said. Police were called out again on Sunday, after a resident reported something floating in the water being circled by an alligator. Officers were again unable to find anything, authorities said.
Read: Grisly Scene as Alligators Are Found Feasting on Dead Body in Florida Canal
On Tuesday, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers brought in a gator trapper to capture the reptile, thought to be about eight feet long.
Then wildlife officials can determine if human remains are in the predator's stomach, police said.
Watch: Gator Wrangler Shocked To See 7-Foot Alligator Behind Wheel of Her Car
