Americans shared in the grief felt by a young couple from Nebraska who lost their two-year-old son Lane Graves to a seven-foot-long alligator which snatched and killed the boy while he was playing at the edge of the water at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday night.
It was the third tragedy to hit the Orlando area following the fatal shooting of The Voice singer Christina Grimmie at a nightclub on Friday night and the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub where a gunman mowed down 49 people early Sunday.
Well-wishers extended their prayers and donations to Matt and Melissa Graves, the boy's parents.
A GoFundMe campaign for the grieving parents quickly exceeded an initial target of $10,000 just hours after it was launched. On Friday morning when the campaign ended after just over a day of being active, it had raised some $50,240.
The campaign was set up by Kingdom Strollers, a Disney-featured stroller provider which rented out a stroller for Lane during their family's vacation in Orlando, Florida.
"Thank you to all who donated to this campaign. It was an overwhelming response to an unimaginable loss. Your kindness and generosity spoke volumes, your prayers moved mountains ... your stories brought comfort to weary hearts. As we close this campaign, I ask that you continue to pray for this family. That peace and joy return to their lives. That the memory of Lane brings only a smile to their face. God bless all who joined together to offer support to the Graves in their darkest hour," wrote Kingdom Strollers in a message to donors.
The Graves family has requested that all donations be sent to the St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Elkhorn, Nebraska, where they were expected to hold a memorial service for Lane on Thursday night, according to Omaha.com.
In their first direct statement since the death of their son, Matt and Melissa said they were "devastated" and pleaded for privacy.
"Words cannot describe the shock and grief our family is experiencing over the loss of our son. We are devastated and ask for privacy during this extremely difficult time. To all of the local authorities and staff who worked tirelessly these past 24 hours, we express our deepest gratitude," they said in the statement quoted by GoWaterTown on Thursday.
The couple from Nebraska were on their third day of vacation and relaxing on the nearby shore at Walt Disney World Resort on Tuesday night when an alligator suddenly grabbed and pulled Lane into the man-made Seven Seas Lagoon, authorities said.
Matt tried to rescue his son and wrestled with the giant alligator, but was not able to free him from the reptile's jaw, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said. Matt suffered minor injuries. Melissa Graves also dived in to help.
An autopsy was conducted on Thursday afternoon on the boy's body, which was found intact underwater. Alligators are known to keep their prey underwater to eat later.
"The cause of death was ruled as a result of drowning and traumatic injuries," the Orange County Medical Examiner's Office said in a brief statement.
On Thursday, Disney announced it would close all its Florida resort beaches and post new signs warning of alligators.
