Several news stories I’ve read about the incident discussed the possibility of criminal charges against the parents. After spending 16 hours wondering if their son was in the belly of a gator and then being forced to arrange for his little body to be put in the underbelly of an aircraft instead so it could be brought home for burial, criminal charges are the least of their worries.

Thankfully, it seems local authorities have viewed this the situation accurately, as a freak tragedy. It’s always nice to have someone or something to blame in the case of a tragic death, especially when it’s a child, but sometimes, freak accidents happen. Alligators are vicious creatures who show up in the most improbable places in Florida: toilets, swimming pools, and yes, even Disney resorts. We can’t plan for every possible contingency, but instead pray we might never know the grief the Groveses are feeling this week, which was supposed to be a dream summer family vacation.

A fellow parent made an insightful comment to me: “Parenting is a series of near misses.” My friend, the father of twins, is constantly running in two directions, chasing his adorable and mischievous sons. Even the most devoted parent knows it takes just a minute for anything to happen: For a child to color on the walls, run into the street, wriggle into a gorilla pit, or disappear into a lake in the mouth of an alligator.