POMFRET, Md. — A man was found dead in a Maryland home on Wednesday, and deputies said more than 100 snakes were found inside the residence.
David Riston, 49, of Pomfret, was identified as the man found inside the home, WJLA-TV reported. The snakes -- some venomous and illegal in Maryland -- all were in cages when deputies arrived at the man’s home, according to WRC-TV.
There were no obvious signs of foul play, and an autopsy will be performed on Riston in Baltimore, according to WJLA. It’s not clear yet how the man died or if a snake was involved, WTTG-TV reported.
Charles County Investigating death of man who was found dead in home with more than 100 snakes, including some venomous snakes. All snakes appear to be in cages and accounted for. No cause of death yet. @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/KvCVU5RL3n
— Mark Segraves (@SegravesNBC4) January 20, 2022
A neighbor noticed he hadn’t seen Riston in about a day, Charles County spokeswoman Jennifer Harris told WRC. The neighbor went to the door and was able to see through a window that Riston was on the floor, the television station reported.
Experts from North Carolina and Virginia are assisting animal control to document the different breeds of snakes before deciding where to move them, WTTG reported.
“Our chief animal control officer said in his more than 30 years of experience, he had not encountered this kind of thing before,” Harris told WRC. “They (snakes) were all very properly secured. 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.”
A woman who identified herself as Riston’s daughter, Emily Lopez-Lahocki, wrote a tribute to her father on Facebook.
Some types of snakes the man had included cobras, black mambas, pythons and rattlesnakes, WTTG reported.
©2022 Cox Media Group
