KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. - Authorities say a man whose body was found in a pond behind his South Carolina home may have been attacked by an alligator.

According to ABC News deputies with the Charleston Country Sheriff's Office responded to the man's home on Kiawah Island, 30 miles south of Charleston, Saturday afternoon after the man was reported missing. K-9 officers led investigators to the edge of a large pond behind the home prompting deputies to utilize a helicopter to continue with the search.

From the air, the man's body was spotted in the pond, officials say. When his body was retrieved, it had bite marks and wounds "consistent in appearance with an alligator encounter." It's unclear whether the bites occurred before or after the man died.

The coroner’s office will perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death.