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Alligator trapper to assist in search for missing boy

Mom mourned as search goes on
Sep 16, 2006

The day that Trenton disappeared
Sep 15, 2006

OCALA NATIONAL FOREST -- An alligator trapper will aid the hunt for missing 2-year-old Trenton Duckett tonight.

The trapper will try to catch alligators large enough to eat a toddler, then cut them open looking for a sign of the toddler.

"This is just a process of elimination," state wildlife official Joy Hill said.

The trapper joins divers who have been searching the mucky bottom of Farles Lake inside the Ocala National Forest since Saturday. Investigators hoped the search would provide a link to Trenton, who was reported missing three weeks ago.

The bizarre abduction case has centered on the boy's mother, Melinda Duckett, who killed herself 12 days after she said her son disappeared from her Leesburg apartment.

Her death shifted suspicion onto her.

A tip led investigators to the forest last week. Melinda Duckett had said she took her shotgun and her son to target practice there on the day he went missing.

Authorities released information today that contradicts some of Melinda Duckett's account of the hours before she reported that a stranger stole her son through his bedroom window.
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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/orl-duckett1806sep18,0,7743764.story?coll=orl-home-headlines
Gator Trapper assists search for missing boy

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My Website
www.herpfanatic.com

Personally, I think a professional in the field should step up and recommend against this very ridiculous action. This late in the search, even IF there was some sort of evidence that possibly points to alligators consuming this child, they aren't going to find any remains inside these animals. Within a week (or two tops) all remains of the child would have been completely passed through. This is simply a waste of time and will solve nothing. I really wish someone would step up against this.

Chris

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My Website
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ORLANDO SENTINEL 18 September 06 Alligator trapper called off in search (Erin Cox)
Ocala National Forest: Marion County Sheriff's Office canceled an alligator trapping effort that was to aid the hunt for missing 2-year-old Trenton Duckett at Farles Lake on Monday night.
The trapper was to join divers who have been searching the mucky bottom of Farles Lake inside the Ocala National Forest since Saturday. Investigators hoped the search would provide a link to Trenton, who was reported missing three weeks ago.
There is no word yet if use of the trapper will take place on Tuesday.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/orl-duckett1806sep18,0,7743764.story?coll=orl-home-headlines

WKMG (Orlando, Florida) 19 September 06 Gator Hunt In Missing Boy Search Canceled
Plans to capture alligators and examine their stomachs in an area where crews have been searching for a missing Leesburg boy were called off at the last minute, according to Local 6 News report.
Monday afternoon, The Marion County Sheriff's Office asked the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to catch at least one large alligator near Farles Lake in the Ocala National Forest.
If alligators are captured, their stomachs will be examined for any evidence such as bone, fabric and hair remnants, a Florida Fish and Wildlife release said.
The alligator search was planned for Monday night. However, trappers decided to leave them alone since they have not bothered the divers and they have not been linked to Trenton's disappearance.
"The alligators are not going anywhere, they are going to be out there," Florida Fish and Wildlife representative Joy Hill said. "If the decision is made to go ahead and trap some of the larger alligators that are out there, we will be ready."
Divers want to swim the entire lake because of a tipster who said he spotted Trenton and his mother Melinda Duckett at the lake the weekend he vanished.
Trenton was reported missing 22 days ago by his mother, who committed suicide more than a week ago.
Gator Hunt In Missing Boy Search Canceled