Teenage boy mauled to death by crocodiles while on walk with family in Mexico
Andres Alejandro Santana Hernandez accidentally fell into the waterwhile on a walk with family in Lazaro Cardenas on Mexico's Pacific Coast on Friday. He was dragged by crocodiles into the swamp before his parents could help.
Rivers and canals in the region are hotbeds for crocodiles, who kill multiple people each year.
Local police divers have started searching the area for the teenage boy's remains. It remains unclear if his body has been recovered.
Authorities have warned people to stay away from the canal banks. They also issued safety warnings to visitors and walkers due to the 'unpredictable' nature of the animals, according to The Sun.
Andres was part of the local Cortazar Fire Department's marching band and a local altar boy.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Church confirmed his death in a statement, saying: 'With deep sorrow, but with our hope placed in our Lord Jesus Christ, who has Risen and is the Lord of life, I earnestly ask you to join in prayer for the eternal rest of Andres Alejandro Santana Hernandez, altar server of the main parish, who has been called to the house of the Eternal Father.'
A Morelet's crocodile, a species usually found in the Atlantic region of Mexico, is thought to be responsible for the attack. The species can grow up to three metres and weigh about 400 pounds.
Also known as Mexican or Belize crocodiles, there are believed to be between 79,000 to 100,000 Morelets in the country.
They are known for being aggressive and opportunistic predators and have been linked to at least 12 recorded human deaths.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Daughter of murderous ex-MLB pitcher Daniel Serafini's victims speaks out after he gunned down in-laws
Adrienne Spohr, the daughter of Gary Spohr and Wendy Wood, has spoken out after disgraced former MLB player Daniel Serafini gunned down her parents. Serafini, 51, was found guilty in July of murdering his father-in-law and attempting to kill his mother-in-law. The former Minnesota Twins and Chicago Cubs pitcher broke into Spohr and Wood's Lake Tahoe-area home in 2021 and shot dead Spohr at close range before firing at Wood, 69. Wood, who suffered brain damage as a result of the shooting, killed herself in 2023 at an assisted-living facility. Now, Adrienne, the 35-year-old sister of Serafini's wife Erin, paid an emotional tribute to her parents as she opened up on their tragic deaths. 'My parents were forces of nature. They were strong, adventurous, generous and they loved deeply,' Adrienne told People. 'That's how I want people to remember them — not as victims but as the incredible people they were.' Prosecutors claimed that Spohr was 'executed' with a bullet to the back of his head, while Wood was struck by gunfire, vomited and bled on the couch before she crawled to a bathroom, where she managed to call 911. She was so badly injured that she could only gasp for air. Still, emergency responders rushed to the scene, where they found Spohr's body along with bullet shell casings and bloodstains splattered around the luxury home. Medics found Wood in the bathroom, and flew her to the hospital in Reno, where she spent the next month in intensive care. Adrienne said that in the following weeks her mother 'relearned how to walk and write and even went hiking.' However, Wood suffered with depression and anxiety, ultimately taking her life in 2023. 'The heartbreak of losing my dad — and knowing who was responsible [for his death] — became too much,' Adrienne said. 'She said it felt like she had lost her right arm.' Last month, a California jury declared that Serafini was guilty of first-degree murder for his father-in-law's death, as well as the attempted murder of his mother-in-law and burglary, CBS News reported. The jury also found Serafini was guilty of charge enhancements, including discharging of a firearm to cause great bodily injury, lying in wait and that the attack was woeful, willful and premeditated, according to KCRA. However, the 10-woman, two-man jury found Serafini was not guilty of child endangerment as his children were not at the house at the time of the deadly shooting. Prosecutors have claimed throughout the months-long trial that Serafini had been in desperate need of cash following an acrimonious divorce and a failed bar venture for which he lost $14 million in earnings from his baseball career. They also argued that the former baseball star hated his wealthy in-laws and even told others that he wanted them dead, as he continued his affair with the nanny, Samantha Scott, 35. Serafini, they said, ultimately devised a plan to sneak into his wealthy in-laws home on June 5, 2021 when he knew they were spending time out on the lake with his wife and children. He then waited with a .22-caliber gun for his wife and children to return to their Reno, Nevada home, and when Spohr and Wood were watching television shortly before 9am, Serafini opened fire, Assistant Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Miller told jurors. She ultimately hanged herself in 2023, and her will is now the subject of a contentious legal battle between Serafini's wife, Erin, and Adrienne. The two sisters are fighting to get custody of the couple's estate - which they estimate to be worth $10 million. It now seems that Serafini's relationship with his in-laws had been fraught from the beginning - and tensions only grew worse as the former pitcher and his wife found themselves partially reliant on handouts from her wealthy parents. Making matters worse, her parents forced Serafini to sign a post-nuptial agreement one year after their wedding - meaning he would not get any of her money if their marriage were to end, Erin testified in court, according to the Sacramento Bee. Wearing a backpack and black hoodie, the man thought to be the killer carried a concealed .22-caliber gun as he strolled around Lake Tahoe on the day of the murder As the investigation into the shooting continued, authorities also discovered Serafini once said he would pay to have his in-laws killed. ''I'll pay $20,000 to have them killed. They're wealthy pieces of s***.' That's what he said about his in-laws,' Miller told jurors back in May. He said Serafini made the comment in 2012, the same year he married their daughter, Erin, now 36. Then, just three months before the murder, Serafini was also overheard by a mine foreman saying he wanted to kill them in a furious phone call. Transcripts of angry emails and text messages between Serafini and his wife's parents further showed a heated, ongoing dispute over a $1.3 million loan from his in-laws to help fund Erin's fledgling horse ranch business. Yet the in-laws continued to help out their daughter - even providing her a check for $90,0000 on the day of the grisly murder. Erin and Serafini's two young children had visited the Lake Tahoe compound that day, and as they spent hours boating on the lake, a masked man was caught on camera sneaking into Spohr's Tahoe City shortly after 5pm. Just over an hour later, five gunshots were heard in rapid succession from inside the property with the masked killer caught leaving the home a few minutes before 9pm. The former baseball star is now due to be sentenced on August 18, when he faces the possibility of life behind bars. Serafini was an MLB pitcher who was drafted in 1992 and whose career spanned 11 years with multiple teams. He played for the Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs and finished his career with the Colorado Rockies back in 2007.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Waterworld where four-year-old girl died 'had strongest wave pool I've felt', says mother who was there on tragic day
The waterpark where a four-year-old girl died had the 'strongest wave pool' swimmers had ever felt, according to a mother there on the day. Staffordshire Police were called to Waterworld in Stoke-on-Trent on Monday to reports of a girl in a critical condition. The child was rushed to hospital for further treatment but sadly passed away a short while later. Parents of children who had been at the 'lagoon area of the aqua park' where the tragic event took place have since spoken out, sharing their 'heartbreak'. A mother, who took her three children to the waterpark that day told the Telegraph she had never been to one with such a strong wave pool. The parent, who did not wish to be named, had attended with her husband and three children, aged 11, five and three. She described 'struggling to remain' on her feet due to the 'strength' of the current, adding she had used wave pools before but 'never experienced one that forceful'. 'As an adult, I did not feel confident keeping my younger children safe there, and made the decision to remove them. My husband remained with our 11-year-old, who is a strong swimmer, but even he was struggling to stay above water. 'Although lifeguards were positioned at key points, I found it very difficult to maintain visibility of my children in the children's area,' she added. The mother went on to say there had been a 'number of slides and structures' blocking sight lines and that she lost sight of her five-year-old 'several times' while managing her 'three-year-old'. She said her daughter had wandered towards the wave pool on more than one occasion and she had to remind her not to enter the water alone and to stay near the orange and green slides and wait if she could not see her. Another woman described the moment she saw the little girl on the floor and recalled having to leave as her own girl did not want to see it and as her children were 'afraid'. And a different local said the venue had been 'crowded' on the day, adding she thought there were 'not enough lifeguards'. The attendee said they were not sure exactly what had happened but was aware of wave machines that are 'quite choppy' and the need to be a 'strong swimmer'. They added it was a 'complete tragedy'. Another resident said it was 'heartbreaking' while customer Heather Neville, 33, of Stone, Staffordshire, described finding the site closed following the girl's death after she arrived with her two sons. She said it was 'absolutely dreadful' and said she was unsure as to whether she could bring her boys back when the waterpark reopens. The typhoon lagoon wave pool is indicated on a map of the water park - where artificial waves reach heights of 1.4 metres. Toddlers are permitted to go in but only 'strong swimmers' can use the deep end. Non-swimmers are instructed to remain in shallow water, according the company's website. A Waterworld spokesman said: 'It is with great sadness that we learned of this little girl's passing. All our thoughts are with her family and loved ones during these extremely difficult times. Waterworld is working closely with the authorities. 'All other visitors were asked to quietly leave the pool out of respect for the rescue operation under way, and we would like to thank them for their support and collaboration.' West Midlands Ambulance Service stated it received a number of 999 calls to 'Waterworld at 4.20pm on Monday. Two ambulances, a paramedic officer and the Midlands Air Ambulance from Cosford attended the scene. A spokesman for the service said: 'Crews arrived to find Waterworld staff and bystanders performing CPR on a girl who was in a critical condition. 'The ambulance team quickly took over resuscitation efforts to commence advanced life support before conveying the girl by air ambulance to Royal Stoke University Hospital whilst life-saving treatment continued en route. 'Tragically, despite the best efforts of everyone, nothing could be done to save the little girl, and she was confirmed deceased in hospital a short time later. 'Our thoughts are with the family and friends at this truly awful time.' Stoke-on-Trent city council said in a statement on Tuesday: 'The council's environmental health team are working with the police and the privately run venue to undertake a full health and safety investigation.' Steve Watkins, the Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent, said: 'This is a terrible tragedy, and our thoughts are with her family and loved ones.'
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Four dead after horror plane crash in Arizona
Four people were killed when a medical transport plane crashed in northeastern Arizona on Tuesday. The plane, operated by CSI Aviation of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was en route to pickup a patient from a hospital when it crashed and caught fire near Chinle Airport just before 1pm, ABC 15 reports. All four people on board were pronounced dead at the scene. The victims have not yet been identified, but their next of kin have been notified about their untimely passing. In the meantime, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating what may have caused the fatal collision. 'This is a tragic loss to the families of those onboard and to the medical air and first responder community,' the Navajo Police Department said in a statement.
