Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Witnesses said the mysterious alligator found dead in a Charlotte-area lake in North Carolina appeared to be alive when it was first spotted a day earlier. Jacob Cannon said he and some friends were in Belmont's Loftin Riverfront Park on Saturday night when they saw something swimming in Lake Wylie. Advertisement "It was swimming out toward the bridge and just circling and I just said, 'That ain't no otter.' I got outta there," Cannon told WSOC-TV. Antonio Figueroa and his brother were fishing the next day in their kayaks when they spotted the alligator in the water and discovered it was non-responsive and possibly dead. Wildlife officers said the alligator was definitely dead when they recovered the carcass on Tuesday. Officials said it is highly unusual to find a wild alligator in the area. They said the animal may have been a released pet. "I can't really answer how it got here. It could've been released. More than likely it was released but we don't know that," said Cody Walker of the North Carolina Wildlife Commission. Walker said dumping an alligator could bring a hefty fine and the reptile's cause of death has yet to be determined. Advertisement "This is a crime scene," Walker told WCNC-TV. "It still is until we come to a conclusion." Read More Intruding 9-foot alligator lurks outside Florida apartment Man finds crocodile camped out at the edge of flooded road Florida trapper removes big alligator from under pickup truck Mississippi police capture loose alligator wandering neighborhood
