St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Monday that they had made the grizzly discovery inside the reptile’s stomach.

Tests are being carried out to determine if the remains are that of the missing man.

Timothy Satterlee Sr was last seen on August 30 checking the storm damage outside his home in Slidell, about 35 miles northeast of New Orleans.

The animal attack happened the day after Ida struck, one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to hit the US Gulf Coast.

An alligator “weighing a startling 504lbs” was caught on Monday in a trap set by two Louisiana Department of Wildlife licensed nuisance hunters, according to a statement from St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.

“Once the alligator was searched, it was discovered to have what appears to be human remains inside its stomach,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Investigators will work with the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office to verify those remains belong to Timothy Satterlee.”

Wildlife agents were scouring the area in air boats on Saturday when a drone they had deployed spotted a “rather large” alligator not far from the Satterlee home.

The agents set traps, which proved successful on Monday.

They then euthanised and cut open the alligator “and that’s when they discovered the body parts”, Vitter said. “It was the upper parts of a human body.”

The Satterlee home is not far from an area frequented by tourists who visit for swamp