Dead Man Found at Home Surrounded by Over 100 Venomous Snakes
Maryland police officers made a horrifying discovery when they found a man dead inside his home, surrounded by more than 100 venomous and non-venomous snakes — including a 14-foot Burmese python.
Authorities were dispatched to the home after receiving a call from a worried neighbor who had not seen the man for 24 hours and stopped by for a welfare check.
On arrival, the neighbor discovered the 49-year-old man unresponsive on the floor.
According to local police, EMS and fire officials forced their way through the front door of the home, where they pronounced the man dead on the scene.
Officials have not yet released the man's identity.
The body is currently awaiting autopsy at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore. So far there is no evidence of foul play.
Neighbors report that the man lived alone, and they had no idea he was keeping snakes in the house.
Animal control ultimately wrangled 125 snakes from the residence. The snakes included cobras, rattlesnakes, pythons, black mambas and a 14-foot Burmese python.
"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, a spokesperson for Charles County Animal Control, told WUSA-TV.
Harris added that she knows local residents are likely "worried that there could be some danger to people living nearby, but at this point, we have not uncovered or determined that any of the snakes actually were not secured after this gentleman's death."
For the record, it is illegal to possess venomous snakes in Maryland.