A 49-year-old man was found dead at his home in Charles County, Maryland. The police recovered at least 125 snakes from his home, including a 14-foot-long Burmese python.
“The man, 49, was pronounced deceased. Inside the house, more than 100 venomous and non-venomous snakes of different varieties were discovered in tanks situated on racks. Charles County Sheriff’s detectives are conducting an investigation into the death of the man,” Charles County Sheriff’s office said in a statement.
There were no obvious signs of foul play, and the decedent was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy, the Sheriff’s office said.
According to the Sheriff’s office, Charles County Animal Control is coordinating rescue efforts relating to the reptiles with assistance from reptile experts from North Carolina and Virginia.
A statement from the Charles County Sheriff’s office says on January 19 at 6 p.m., officers responded to a single-family home in the 5500 block of Raphael Drive in Pomfret after receiving a call from a neighbor who indicated he went to check on the resident, whom he had not seen since the day before and observed the resident lying on the floor and unconscious.
Jennifer Harris, a spokesperson for Charles County Animal Control, told WUSA9 that they “tagged and bagged” 125 snakes, including both venomous and nonvenomous.
“I do want to assure the community, [and] anybody living in this neighborhood, we have not seen that any of the snakes were not properly secured or could have escaped,” Jennifer Harris told WUSA9.
The collection included venomous snakes that are illegal to keep in Maryland, Harris said. The breeds found included pythons, rattlesnakes, cobras and black mambas, Harris said.
The investigation is ongoing.
A global media for the latest news, entertainment, music fashion, and more.
