Investigation Launched After Man Found Dead Surrounded By 124 Snakes

Police in Maryland have launched an investigation after a 49-year-old man was found dead in a home filled with snakes.

Officers were alerted to the situation in Charles County, Maryland after receiving a call from the man's neighbour, who had not seen him in about a day.

Having gone to see whether the man was okay, the neighbour spotted through the window that he had fallen and called 911 for assistance.

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Responding officers entered the home to find the 49-year-old unresponsive and surrounded by 124 snakes, both venomous and non-venomous, in cages around the home. He was pronounced dead with no obvious signs of foul play involved, though police have launched a probe to find out more details. His cause of death is set to be determined by a medical examiner.

To deal with the snakes, county spokesperson Jennifer Harris explained that police called in animal control officials who arrived at the scene and began to examine the collection.

Harris said the chief animal control officer 'had not encountered this kind of thing before' in more than 30 years of experience, NBC Washington reports.

In a statement, the sheriff's office said: 'Inside the house, more than 100 venomous and non-venomous snakes of different varieties were discovered in tanks situated on racks.'

The reptiles, some of which are illegal to keep in Maryland, included pythons, rattlesnakes, cobras and black mambas. Officials were able to isolate the non-venomous snakes, but they brought in experts from North Carolina and Virginia to handle the venomous snakes.

It took a crew of responders hours to remove the snakes from the home, with NBC noting that vehicles transporting the creatures had to be heated to ensure they would survive in the cold weather.

The animals appear to have been cared for 'meticulously', Harris said, explaining they were 'all very properly secured'.

She continued: 'They were racked. He did not keep a lot of furniture inside the home, so there was no place if a snake, for example, were to escape, where it could hide or harm anybody.'

Officials are confident every snake in the home has been accounted for and that they do not pose a risk to the public. Even if one were to escape, it is thought to be unlikely to survive in the cold weather.

If anyone in the area does see a snake, however, they are asked to call the sheriff's office.

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