Sabrina Peckham’s family breaks silence after 41-year-old’s body was seen being dragged along waterway by 13ft alligator.
The remains of Sabrina Peckham, 41, were found in the mouth of a 14-foot alligator on Friday, 22nd September 2023.
The victim’s daughter, 23-year-old Breauna Dorris, said that her mother, Sabrina Peckham, 41, was homeless and living in a wooded area when her remains were found inside the mouth of the massive beast.
She also reports her late mom had legal woes but spoke very well of her by refuting some online speculations by netizens.
Here’s what we know about Sabrina Peckham, her family and what happened to her.
What happened to Sabrina Peckham?
Sabrina Peckham was reportedly killed by an alligator in September 2023.
In Largo, Florida, located about four miles south of Clearwater, police discovered the 14-foot beast was dragging the 41-year-old woman’s body around an area nearby on Friday.
The alligator had been spotted by locals carrying her body through a canal near a residential street in the city, per the New York Post.
It was only about one-half mile from where her body was discovered with the alligator, according to court records obtained by the publication.
Who was Sabrina Peckham?
Peckham was homeless and was previously caught by Pinellas County officers on the morning of July 14 trespassing on a wetland in the neighborhood.
She had legal woes which include a criminal history of drug possession.
The 41-year-old reportedly ignored warning signs placed around the area and pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charge on September 8, per TheSun.
Peckham was forced to pay a fine of $500, and it’s unclear where she went afterward before being found with the alligator.
Although police have yet to confirm if the Florida woman’s death was caused by the alligator or not.
It was later reported that a resident driving on their way to a job interview first witnessed the horrifying sight and contacted the local fire department.
The Largo area is home to a lake extending around five acres that are known to house gators, but neighbors said the one holding Peckham was one of the biggest they’d seen, according to the New York Post.
Cops said the animal was “humanely killed,” but witnesses claimed officers pulled it from the swamp and shot it several times until it died.
Who are Sabrina Peckham’s husband and children?
Whether late Sabrina was married or dating anyone was unknown, however, she had been in a relationship that brought forth a child.
Sabrina Peckham was a mother before her painful death. At the moment, her only identified child is a daughter named Breauna Dorris.
Doris has been in the news for debunking rumors regarding how her mother died.
She was also a grandmother as Dorris said that her mom came over to visit her grandchildren every day, despite her transient lifestyle.
So, when Peckham didn’t show up on Thursday evening and Friday morning, her daughter became concerned.
“I knew that she was out here,” Dorris shared. “Before her name was even released or she was identified. I knew there were news articles going around about a gator with a human body part in its mouth.”
“Knowing that’s how she went…it wasn’t painless. It wasn’t fast. It wasn’t easy. She struggled,” she said.
Dorris said she wants people to remember her mother for her giving nature and not her legal woes.
“My mother chose the wrong path in life for sure,” she said acknowledging Peckham’s past.
“She was selfless. One hundred percent selfless. She was homeless herself. But that didn’t matter. She would give you the last piece of food off her plate. She would give you the shirt off her back if she needed to,” she added.
“Nobody expects to hear that your mother died under these circumstances,” she told Tampa’s WTVT.
What have Sabrina Peckham’s family said so far?
Since the announcement, Peckham’s daughter, Breauna Dorris, has broken her silence in a post on Facebook.
She noted the “unbearable pain” of learning what happened and attempted to quell rumors about the situation, including that her mother allegedly taunted the alligator before it attacked.
“The past 24 hours have been filled with grief and sorrow and unbearable pain for our family. I’m posting this to put rumors to rest and ask for everyone’s help,” Dorris wrote.
“My mother, Sabrina Peckham was the victim of the alligator attack at McCay Creek (rainbow village). Please understand that we do not have all the information yet as the medical examiners report is not yet finished.”
Dorris continued: “Some details I would like to share is that my mother did not “taunt” the alligator as some are saying in the news outlets comments. My mother was apart of the homeless population that lived in the nearby wooded area.”
“It is believed that she may have been walking to or from her camp site near the creek in the dark and the alligator attacked from the water. Please do not speak on what you don’t know. No matter how you put it, no one deserves to die like this.”
Peckham’s daughter also created a GoFundMe to help the family give the mother a proper burial. At the time of writing, it earned $11,251 which has surpassed the $10,000 end goal in only a few hours.