CHARLES COUNTY, Md. – A man in Maryland was discovered dead in his home surrounded by over 100 venomous and nonvenomous snakes, according to law enforcement officials.
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to the residence after a neighbor saw the unnamed 49-year-old man lying on the floor unconscious after checking on him since he had not seen him for more than a day, the agency said in a statement.
EMS and fire officials forced entry through the front door and discovered the man was already dead. The Sheriff’s Department said there were no signs of a crime and the man’s body was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy, the New York Post reported.
Law enforcement personnel discovered what turned out to be 125 snakes of several varieties inside the home. The deceased man’s neighbors were unaware the reptiles were in the house.
Hence, Charles County Animal Control worked to collect the snakes with experts from North Carolina and Virginia, CCSO said.
Charles County Animal Control spokesperson Jennifer Harris said the department had “tagged and bagged” over 125 snakes. She said neighbors should not be concerned, according to WUSA9
Charles County says it found 125+ snakes in a Pomfret, MD man's home. The man was found dead yesterday. No cause of death given yet. County says neighbors had no idea the snakes were even there. Some were venemous, some weren't. (@wusa9 link: https://t.co/tGfps4cJaj) pic.twitter.com/VWkpgOdn9u
— John Henry (@JohnHenryWUSA) January 20, 2022
“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 told the local news outlet. “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.”
Harris said it appeared the man lived alone at the residence. His name will be released at a later time.
Animal control said the biggest snake in the residence was a 14-foot Burmese python, the Post reported.
Harris said it was the largest collection of snakes the county’s animal control chief had seen in more than 30 years of experience.
