A man was discovered dead in his Maryland home Wednesday evening, surrounded by more than 100 venomous and non-venomous snakes, including a 14-foot Burmese python, according to officials.
The local police arrived at the Pomfret home after receiving a call from a neighbor who said he went to check on the resident and found him unconscious on the floor. Officials said that when EMS arrived, they discovered a 49-year-old man dead on the floor.
Inside the house, more than 100 “venomous and non-venomous snakes of various varieties were discovered in tanks located on racks,” according to officials. According to Jennifer Harris, a Charles County Animal Control spokesperson, the breeds included pythons, rattlesnakes, cobras, and black mambas.
According to Harris, the team “tagged and bagged” at least 125 snakes. According to Harris, the man, who has not been identified by authorities, apparently lived alone and his neighbors were unaware he had snakes in his home. Possession of venomous snakes is prohibited in Maryland.
“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,” she said, “I know people were 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.”
In addition, Harris stated that this was the largest collection of snakes that the county’s animal control chief, Ed Tucker, had ever seen in his more than 30 years of experience.
Animal control requested assistance from other reptile experts in Virginia and North Carolina, and they were still bagging snakes on Thursday. According to the police, the largest snake discovered in the house was a 14-foot Burmese python.
Detectives from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office are looking into the man’s death. There were no obvious signs of foul play, and an autopsy will be performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, according to the sheriff’s department.
