UPDATE 4/14/2022: On Wednesday, April 13, 2022, a spokesperson from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiners confirmed “the cause of death is snake envenomation and the manner of death is an accident.”
The World Health Organization decribes Snake Envenomation as – Snakebite envenoming is a potentially life-threatening disease caused by toxins in the bite of a venomous snake. Envenoming can also be caused by having venom sprayed into the eyes by certain species of snakes that have the ability to spit venom as a defense measure.
Inadequate past efforts to control snakebite envenoming has produced fragmented, inaccurate epidemiological data. Many victims do not attend health centers or hospitals and instead rely on traditional treatments. However, available data show 4.5–5.4 million people get bitten by snakes annually. Of this, 1.8–2.7 million develop clinical illness and 81,000 to 138,000 die from complications.
1/20/2022: On January 19 at 6:00 p.m., officers responded to a single-family home in the 5500 block of Raphael Drive in Pomfret after receiving a call from a neighbor who indicated he went to check on the resident, whom he had not seen since the day before, and observed the resident lying on the floor and unconscious.
Fireboard/EMS arrived and forced entry through the front door of the residence.
The man, 49, was pronounced deceased. Inside the house, more than 100 venomous and non-venomous snakes of different varieties were discovered in tanks situated on racks. Charles County Sheriff’s detectives are conducting an investigation into the death of the man.
There were no obvious signs of foul play and the decedent was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy.
Charles County Animal Control is coordinating rescue efforts relating to the reptiles with assistance from reptile experts from North Carolina and Virginia. All media questions relating to the snakes may be directed to Ms. Jennifer Harris, Spokesperson for the Charles County Government, at 240-435-0169. The investigation is ongoing.
