Mystery surrounds dead man eaten by alligators in canal

A day after a dead man was found in a Florida canal with alligators chewing on him, investigators are still trying to identify him and determine how he met his end.

An autopsy completed by the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office on Tuesday was inconclusive, according to Davie police. A toxicology test is being done, and officials are still trying to get fingerprints.

The curious case started with a grisly scene on the edge of the Everglades on Memorial Day, when two fishermen told police they saw a body in a canal along U.S. 27 in Southwest Ranches.

The body’s level of decomposition led police to believe the body was in the water for some time.

By late Monday night, officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were on scene helping police. The alligators were lured away, and officers were armed with assault rifles to keep divers safe as they recovered the body.

Capt. Dale Engle, spokesman for Davie police, said investigators are treating the death like a homicide as they would with any death.

“We treat all deaths like homicides unless something tells us different,” he said on Tuesday.

This story was originally published May 31, 2016 at 4:11 PM with the headline "Mystery surrounds dead man eaten by alligators in canal."