Fla. Man Already Dead From Meth When Taken By Alligator: Report

FORT MEADE, FL — A Florida man had overdosed on methamphetamine before he was attacked by a nearly 12-foot alligator, according to the Polk County Medical Examiner's Office.

"The decedent's injuries and amputations lack sufficient associated bleeding to suggest they were made while alive," Dr. Stephen J. Nelson stated in an autopsy report.

"It is my opinion that Michael Glenn Ford II died as a result of methamphetamine intoxication," Nelson wrote. "The manner of his death is accident."

The 45-year-old Ford's left hand and right foot were found in the stomach of the 449-pound alligator after it was removed from a canal June 27, according to the medical examiner's report.

Carrie Horstman of the Polk County Sheriff's Office previously said it was not clear what role the alligator played in Ford's death, if any.

The body of Ford, who was from Wauchula, Florida, was found in Polk County off Peeples Road, west of County Road 630.

A 911 caller reported the body to the Polk County Sheriff's Office around 7:43 a.m. (listen to the call below) on property belonging to Mosaic Co. The company uses the land to mine and process phosphate rock for phosphate fertilizer production.

"When he was found by a Mosaic employee, a large alligator had a part of Ford’s body in his mouth," Horstman said at the time. "When first responders arrived on scene, the gator had disengaged."

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission trapped and killed the alligator, and a necropsy was performed, according to Horstman.

Investigators found a truck nearby and determined that it belonged to a friend of Ford’s who had recently agreed to sell it to him.

"Neither the friend nor Ford’s family had heard from him since Sunday, June 23, 2019," Horstman added.

Listen to the 911 call below, as provided by the Polk County Sheriff's Office: