A search for a missing woman in a bayou in Clear Lake, Texas, ended in horror when a Houston Police sergeant came upon an alligator chewing on the woman’s remains.

The sergeant shot the beast dead.

The woman’s husband reported her missing when she failed to return from a Monday evening walk in Horsepen Bayou, according to KHOU-TV. The woman, who police did not name, is believed to be in her 60s, police said.

The sergeant, who also was not identified, shot the reptile so that it would not disfigure the remains any further. An HPD dive team then recovered the rest of the remains as well as the dead alligator.

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences is working to confirm the identity of the woman and determine the cause of death.

Alligators are apex predators that eat carrion, which would include human remains, as well as live prey.

If the alligator killed the woman, it would be the first fatal gator attack in Texas since a 2015 incident which was the first recorded fatal gator attack in 90 years, according to KTRK-TV.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.