Mom shares photos before ‘gator attack, defends victim’s parents

A tourist who visited Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Orlando on Wednesday shared how her own son was wading in the same spot where an alligator grabbed 2-year-old Lane Graves less than an hour before the horrific attack.

In a touching Facebook post that has gone viral since Thursday, Jennifer Venditti shared photos of her son standing in the same Lagoon near the Disney World Hotel.

“PRAY, PRAY so hard for the family & for those who witnessed this tragic event. I took these pics at the exact spot this happened betw 8 & 830, the incident happened at 9. Helicopters flew overhead til 1 am and were back around dawn. 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,?” Vendetti wrote.

The victim’s parents have received countless backlash online for their alleged negligence, but Vendetti was also quick to defend them.

“I’ve already seen posts criticizing the parents. 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,”  she wrote along with the hashtag, #judgelesspraymore.

Vendetta’s heartfelt tribute has been shared 193,335 times, as of this story’s writing.

Meanwhile, Graves’ body has since been recovered by police in the lagoon on Thursday, not far from where he was attacked and dragged into the water by the reptile. Khristian Ibarrola

RELATED STORY: Body of boy snatched by gator found in Disney lagoon