A Houston police officer shot and killed an alligator after it was found with the remains of a missing woman in its mouth Tuesday, officials said.

Houston officers were searching for the woman, who was believed to be in her 60s, Tuesday morning when they discovered the animal in the Horsepen Bayou outside Houston.

An officer then fatally shot the alligator “to prevent it from doing more damage to the remains,” in its mouth, Houston police said.

Police recovered the woman’s remains from the…