Despite her struggles, homeless mum killed by alligator was 'kind to everybody'
Sabrina Peckham's life wasn't perfect — the 41-year-old mother and grandmother struggled with addiction, homelessness and a series of legal troubles before her life was literally ripped away from her by a massive, nearly 14-foot alligator last week.
Despite everything she dealt with, however, she always tried to be "kind to everybody" and "wasn't a bad person," her daughter says. In fact, she was selfless in many ways and went out of her way to help others.
Peckham's struggles were rooted in her addiction to drugs, 23-year-old Breauna Dorris told The Mirror US in an exclusive interview. She said drugs "ultimately [landed] her where she was — homeless."
Peckham enjoyed spending time with her daughter and her grandchildren before her untimely demise (Gofundme)
Peckham struggled with drug addiction and homelessness, but that didn't get her down (Breauna Dorris)“My mom has obviously had a kind of hard life," Breaunasaid. She was frequently short of money, work, food, shelter and clothing and struggled each night to find safe places to sleep.
For many years, Peckham lived on the streets. She had been kicked out of several areas and received charges for trespassing on multiple occasions, but Breaunaemphasised that she was "really just trying to survive."
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Ms Peckham's family, including her mother, who lives over an hour away, and her father, who lives around two-and-a-half hours away, had tried to help her multiple times but to no avail, and after a while, the attempts simply became too draining. Their efforts "didn't end up working out."
Eventually, they stopped trying — but they never stopped loving Peckham or trying their best. "They absolutely still loved and cared about her. Our whole family is in devastation right now knowing what happened to her," she said of other family members.
The giant alligator was nearly 14 feet long and attacked Peckham near a creek (Today)Breauna said the only person truly responsible for her mother's struggles was herself. But her mother worked to take accountability for her situation and strived every day to make good choices that would land her back on the right path in life.
"She made her choices, and that resulted in her going down the wrong path and her doing things that she wasn't supposed to be doing," Breaunasaid. "But she knew that, and she held herself accountable for it, and she knew that the only person that could help her was herself."
That didn't stop the Largo, Florida, resident from trying to help her mother anyway, however — something she continued to do after having two beautiful children aged 1 and 3.
"I'm the only person local enough to her within distance that she could count on," Dorris explained. "If she needed a couple of dollars, or she needed a ride, or she needed food, or she needed clothes or anything like that, she knew that she could come to me and tell me that and that I would be there to help her."
Peckham was busted for trespassing a few times (Facebook)
Peckham would watch Dorris' children and help her with house chores from time to time (Breauna Dorris)Breauna's home is within walking distance of the parks and benches in Largo, a city about 15 miles northwest of Saint Petersburg, Florida, where Peckham sometimes slept. And she would come over frequently to help with her daughter's young son and daughter.
"I still tried my best to remain a point of contact with her," the financial consultant said. "She knew where I lived, and she would come by quite often, and I would do my best to provide what I could for her — if she needed food or she needed dry clothes or toiletries or within reason what I could give to her at the time."
She said her mother may have been trying to "repay" that kindness by coming over to watch her kids or help out with chores around the house, but she would always reiterate to her: "Momma, I don't need anything from you. I'm just doing it because you're my mom."
After the incident, the alligator was euthanised and placed on a truck (Today)"Being that she was homeless, she didn’t have a phone or a way to contact people, so she wasn’t able to reach out or just to walk down the street to these other family members," Breauna explained. Her house, however, was never a permanent residence for Peckham, as Breaunahad decided her mother could not stay with her and her family because of her past.
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But even so, Breaunasaid her mother went out of her way to be "kind to everybody" and to be the best mother and grandmother she could be despite her circumstances.
"Even though she was homeless, it didn't matter. She would help whoever needed help," Breaunasaid. "If she saw somebody struggling at the supermarket, like an older person, she would stop and help them load their groceries into their car."
Ms Peckham really did try until her dying day, Breaunasaid, and she wants people to remember her mother for the good she did and tried to do and not just her struggles.
"I want people to know that she wasn’t a bad person and that she didn’t deserve what happened to her," she said. "It’s unexpected and tragic, and it’s a hard way to pass. I also just want to bring awareness," she added. “Be diligent, and be aware of your surroundings, because this tragic event, it could have been anybody.”
On Friday, the authorities were called to investigate a massive reptile that reportedly had human remains in its maw. They found the beast and euthanised it, later determining that the body inside of it was Peckham's.
The beast ripped her life away from her as she strolled either to or from the camp she had been sleeping at, Breaunasaid. She said the authorities and the media have tried to paint the picture of her mother's guilt, implicating her for inciting the gator attack and calling it her fault.
"She was really just trying to survive," Breaunasaid. “I don’t believe my mother to be somebody that would taunt an alligator. She’s a Florida native, so she’s well aware of what they can do to somebody. Being that she’s not living or sleeping too far from the area, I doubt the last thing that she wanted was a pissed-off alligator.”
She added that most people's advice about alligators is to simply leave them alone — that if you don't bother them, they won't bother you. But she said that isn't always the case.
"The reality of it is that it is a wild animal, and if it does get hungry... You know," Breaunasaid. "It doesn’t just happen to homeless people. This can happen to anybody."
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