MIAMI — The daughter of a Florida woman who was killed by an alligator has said her family is experiencing "grief and sorrow and unbearable pain".

In a Facebook post, Breauna Dorris said her mother, Sabrina Peckham, was homeless and living in a wooded area close to where she was attacked.

She said Ms Peckham, 41, may have been walking to her campsite when the "alligator attacked from the water".

She also pushed back on some claims made on social media about her mother.

"Some details I would like to share is that my mother did not 'taunt' the alligator as some are saying in the news outlets comments," Ms Dorris wrote.

"No matter how you put it, no one deserves to die like this.

"To my mother: I love you more than I ever expressed, I miss you more than you'll ever know and I pray that you are looking down over me and your grandchildren," Ms Dorris said.

"Our family is in shambles trying to cope with this kind of loss," she wrote on a fundraising page.

The fundraiser would be used to help with funeral and burial costs, she said, adding that it raised more than $4,000 (£3,762) in the first 24 hours.

Ms Peckham's remains were found on Friday in a canal in Largo.

Authorities killed a 13ft (4m) gator after a man spotted it with human remains in its jaw.

Jamarcus Bullard said he was walking to a job interview when he saw the alligator with what he initially thought was a mannequin in its mouth.

"I noticed it had a body in its mouth — like a lower torso — so once I saw that I ran straight to the fire department," he told local broadcaster Fox 13.

An investigation will determine the circumstances behind the woman's death. — BBC