Man Found Dead in Home Crawling With Dozens of Venomous Snakes

A man was found dead Tuesday inside a house in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, that had dozens of venomous snakes, according to police.

But the victim, whose identity hasn't been disclosed, didn't die from a snakebite, and the Beaver County coroner has yet to determine the cause of death, according to the Greensburg Tribune-Review.

He was found dead in the bathroom inside the house, where three other adults and a 3-year-old girl were also living. A roommate who lived in the house called 911 to report the 23-year-old man was unconscious, according to Pittsburgh TV station WTAE.

Aliquippa police Sergeant Joshua Gonzalez told the Tribune-Review that an autopsy revealed a snakebite on the man's wrist, but it appeared to be an old wound and is not relevant to his death. He said that the cause of death could be revealed within two or three weeks, depending on the toxicology testing.

The man's residence housed 200 snakes, including 60 venomous ones, which were kept in latched enclosures, according to city code enforcement officer Jim Bologna, who was called Tuesday afternoon, the newspaper said.

Bologna was called to the house to help the police as he supervised the removal of the venomous snakes, a dwarf caiman crocodile and a venomous lizard from the house, according to the Tribune-Review. A cobra and two black mambas, which Bologna said were "extremely deadly," were among the snakes removed.

The nonvenomous snakes stayed inside the house on Tuesday, according to Bologna, who assured neighbors that they shouldn't be concerned because all the dangerous snakes were removed and "professionals checked the exterior of the house and the surrounding yards," according to WTAE's report.

The man and the other adults who lived with him moved to the house on McMinn Street to run a reptile business, even though keeping venomous snakes in Aliquippa is prohibited, according to the Tribune-Review. Because of this violation, the family could face a fine of up to $1,000 for each venomous snake, according to Bologna.

"There was an estimated amount of 200 snakes inside this home. I want to say 75 percent of these snakes and lizards inside the home were venomous," Beaver County Humane Officer Tristan Wenzig told WTAE.

The reptiles were moved from the house by a team from Off the Hook Exotic Pets to its Ambridge, Pennsylvania, pet shop and are being held pending court proceedings, Bologna told the Tribune-Review.

"They're not allowed to have them back or transport them over state lines to somebody else," Bologna said, speaking about what would happen to the snakes for now.

Newsweek reached out by email to the Aliquippa police for further comment.