Hilton Head resident killed by alligator

Second fatal alligator attack in less than a year

Holly Jenkins, a 69-year-old resident of the Spanish Wells community on Hilton Head Island, died on July 4, 2023 after what responders are calling an apparent alligator attack. The attack happened at approximately 9:28 a.m. as Jenkins was walking her dog.

Beaufort County authorities arrived on scene, finding the victim’s body at the edge of a lagoon bordering the neighborhood’s golf course. As they approached Jenkins, an alligator appeared, keeping rescuers away from the body. This led to the gator being euthanized. Rescuers then recovered Jenkins, who was already dead.

In 2022, an 88-year-old woman was killed by an alligator at a lagoon near her home in Sun City, a Beaufort County hamlet just off of Hilton Head Island.