US: 49-year-old man found dead in Maryland home surrounded by over 100 pet snakes

In a horrifying incident, a US man was found dead in his Maryland home on Wednesday surrounded by more than 100 venomous and non-venomous snakes, including a 14-foot Burmese python, local media reported. According to a CNBC report, the Charles County Sheriff's Department informed that authorities responded to the home in Pomfret after receiving a call from a neighbour who said he went to check on the resident and found him unconscious on the floor. EMS personnel arrived at the scene and found David Riston, a 49-year-old man, dead. 

The lifeless body of Riston was surrounded by his caged pets - some of which are so dangerous that they are illegal to keep as pets in the US. The officials informed that they found more than 100 “venomous and non-venomous snakes of different varieties”. Jennifer Harris, a spokesperson for Charles County Animal Control, told WRC-TV that the breeds included pythons, rattlesnakes, cobras and black mambas.

'Biggest collection of snakes' 

Jennifer Harris said that the team “tagged and bagged” at least 125 snakes. She added that the man apparently lived alone and his neighbours were unaware that he had snakes in his home. She also assured the residents of the community that the authorities have not seen that any of the snakes were not properly secured or could have escaped. “We have not uncovered, or determined that any of the snakes actually were not secured after this gentleman's death,” Harris informed. 

The Charles County Animal Control spokesperson went on to say that this was the biggest collection of snakes the county’s animal control chief, Ed Tucker, had ever encountered in his more than 30 years of experience. The animal control even called for assistance from other reptile experts in Virginia and North Carolina in a bid to bag the snakes. They informed the largest snake found in the house was a 14-foot Burmese python. 

Now, the Charles County Sheriff's detectives are conducting an investigation into the man's death. They have stated that there were no obvious signs of foul play. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore will conduct an autopsy, the sheriff's department told reporters.

(Image: Pixabay/Representative)