Snake deaths now a murder investigation

[Disastercat]

[I am posting this as a new thread because it looks like the situation has changed - not that snake people like my husband are surprise, sad as no one wants to see humans murdering children, but not surprised - looking for other sources but so far just this report - DC]

Posted: 8 August, 2013 by Desirée Savage
Snake deaths now a murder investigation

Two Canadian boys killed by a python could now be a homicide




Investigations into two young Canadian brothers thought to be strangled by a python has taken a twist, with police now treating it as a possible murder.


Connor Barthe, 7, and brother Noah, 5, were killed while they slept in an apartment above an exotic pet store, but there were no screams.
It comes after the mother of the pair posted hundreds of photos of her boys taken last year, playing in and cleaning her neighbours snake cage.


Police have stepped up their inquiries, but won’t release further details until full post mortem results are known.

Snake experts have also raised questions stating pythons seeking food always bite first.

John Marais from the African Snake Bite Institute said “if it grabs a kid, you’re going to have more than enough time to scream”.


“You can’t be asleep and be bitten by a python and strangled. That’s impossible,” Mr Marais told News Limited. “You’re going to wake up instantly.”


It’s believed the non-poisonous rock python escaped its enclosure and got into the ventilation system, before slithering into the apartment where the boys were sleeping.

[Summerthyme]

Yep... and I think "the authorities" knew this within hours, but have been keeping quiet to not jeopardize the investigation, or spook the real culprit.

Summerthyme

[bbkaren]

Well I sort of wish it WAS some kind of freak accident that involved the snake... because unthinkable things are creeping into my mind on what actually did happen to them.

[thinkright]

Oh my...interesting development.

[bw]

unthinkable things are creeping into my mind on what actually did happen to them.

Most of us were there on day one. Perhaps you were too.

[bbkaren]

Most of us were there on day one. Perhaps you were too.

Let's just say I knew the snake didn't strangle two boys with the intention of eating them, as the news report have suggested. Of course I suppose a snake can go insane like a person or dog could. But no noise? Not a peep from either boy?

Of course I've been shouted down about how dangerous reptiles are and how they can eat things much larger than themselves...even a HUMAN!

But thankfully the evidence will present itself and sadly, these boys weren't just the victims of a python gone mad - which would've been the best case scenario, IMO.

[Summerthyme]

Well, there is considerable evidence that a rock python that size COULD have managed- with a lot of time and work- to have eaten ONE of the boys. BIG snake, small kid... yeah, definitely possible.

But that's really not the point here... there just was NO possible way a snake could kill a child without a LOT of noise being made... much less TWO of them at the same time. And yeah, the "Unthinkable" has been pretty much on the table since day 1. Quite honestly, while I'm not a big fan of large pet snakes, I'd trust most of them a LOT more than most humans these days...

Summerthyme

[Spike n Ree]

Just a few years back in the Berwicks one 14' large snake, a python was seen in town by two witnesses, then a woman found one large one in her washing machine.

I saw a black and yellow mangrove snake in our backyard garden this summer, the shape of its head is like a rattle snake and just as large. Looks like they are dropping off more than just cats and dogs here!

[bbkaren]

I was pretty skeptical that a snake that size could even take one of the kids, and still am. But the fact that it supposedly went after two of them nailed it for me as b.s.

After watching our burmese python (about 14 feet and 95 lbs.) struggle with a 14-lb. rabbit each month, I still have trouble believing a similar sized snake could physically handle anything...okay, let's say...twice that (28 lbs.)

Just for an illustration, here's our Diesel (the above-referenced burmese) taking a rabbit. Normally his head is about the size of the middle three fingers extended on my hand; I could easily grab his whole head in one hand. In this shot, he's about halfway down the body. You can see his "normal" neck standing out, and his stretched-out throat bulging below it. His jaws are fully disengaged and he's struggling with this critter; we tried to feed him larger (sometimes they were on sale at the dealer) but he couldn't handle it and would regurgitate it partially eaten. (ew.) It took him about 2 hours from ritual constriction (unnecessary as the rabbits were pre-killed) to re-engaging his mouth parts.

His skin turned pink when it receded back to normal after stretching - and as soon as he was done eating, he took a big drink and didn't move for at least a week. After that he'd move to get a drink, change positions, and then for his monthly pee/poop session. (ew.)

If there's considerable evidence out there that this similarly-sized afroc could handle a 50 pound kid, well, so be it. I can only judge from my own experience and the experience of others I know, as well as other reptile forum members. And I knew in my heart of hearts that the snake was not to blame in this incident.