Jennifer Venditti, a mom of a child who had been playing in the exact spot where 2-year-old Lane Graves was playing, shared photos of her son playing in the same spot — just half an hour before Lane was grabbed by the gator.
The Internet has come at the Graves family from all sides, questioning why their son was up after 9 p.m., why they let him swim where there were “no swimming” signs posted and why the family didn’t make note of the fact that alligators frequent Florida waters.
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The freak accident, of course, could have happened to anyone wading in even a small body of water. Venditti shared photos of her son the same day of the attack to drive that important point home.
“I took these pics at the exact spot this happened between 8 & 830, the incident happened at 9. Helicopters flew overhead ’til 1 am and were back around dawn,” Venditti wrote. “I can’t imagine anyone could sleep knowing that the helicopter was searching for a missing child taken by an alligator.”
“I can’t help but wonder if we played with him, did I talk to his Mom?? How does one go home without your baby in tow? I’ve already seen posts criticizing the parents,” she said.
“I can assure you alligators were not on my mind at all when Channing was in the water. It’s a tiny beach, surrounded by pools, water slides, a restaurant and a fire pit. I can’t conceive that an alligator would be in such a busy, small space.”
While questions have cropped up about whether or not the parents should be charged, Orlando police have said there appears to be no “extraordinary neglect.”
Animal expert Jeff Corwin agreed that there was nothing more they could have done.
Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the Graves family.
This article first appeared at Womanista by Olivia Rowe.
