Police shared that a Charles County man with over 100 snakes (cobras, rattlesnakes, pythons, and black mambas) in his home was discovered dead back in January and they are now revealing his cause of death. You guess it...a snake bite.
On Wednesday, April 13, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner told 7News that 49-year old David Riston died from "snake envenomation, and the manner of death is accidental."
The Charles County Chief of Animal Control shared that Riston accurately cared for the snakes in his home and he did have a valid captive reptile and amphibian permit according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. However his permit did not cover the possession of his venomous snakes and it is illegal to do so without the appropriate documentation.
Riston's body was found in his home after neighbors called the police out of concern for him. He was declared dead on the scene.