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1987 Crocodile Killing of U.S. Model Ginger Meadows Revisited in New Coverage

Fresh reports recount firsthand and police accounts and place the case in context with Northern Territory attack statistics.

Overview

  • Meadows, 24, was attacked by a saltwater crocodile on March 29, 1987 while swimming at King’s Cascade near Darwin after visiting the site aboard the Lady G.
  • Skipper Bruce Fitzpatrick had warned Meadows and her friend not to enter the water because crocodiles were known to inhabit the area.
  • Eyewitness Jane Burchett described the crocodile approaching with its mouth open before seizing Meadows around the waist and pulling her under.
  • Rescuers recovered Meadows’ body the next day; police said a large crocodile later snapped at the end of the body bag as it was transported upriver.
  • New pieces cite 2024 Charles Darwin University data showing 76 Northern Territory crocodile attacks from 1979 to 2022, about 30% of them fatal.