The owner of a 100-pound snake that escaped from a pet store and killed two young brothers as they slept in an apartment above has described the horrific moment he found their lifeless bodies.
Jean-Claude Savoie, who lives above the Reptile Ocean pet store in Campbellton in New Brunswick, Canada, went to check on Connor Barth, 7, and his brother Noah, 5, at 6.30am on Monday.
'They were sleeping,' he said in an interview after the heartbreaking discovery. But 'they didn't even open their eyes or nothing. I thought they were sleeping until I [saw] the hole in the ceiling. I turned the lights on and I [saw] this horrific scene.'
He explained: '[The snake] went through a ventilation system. I don't understand how it did it. It went through the ceiling... and the snake fell into the living room from the ceiling.'
Mr Savoie said that the boys were the sons of his best friend, Mandy Trecartin, and that they often stayed at his home, where they slept in the living room. The night they were killed, he was hosting them at a sleepover with his own son.
'My body is in shock. I don't know what to think,' he told the Global News. 'I feel like they're my kids.'
The boys are believed to have been strangled to death by the 100-pound, 14-foot African Rock Python, the News reported, but an autopsy is being carried out today to determine the exact cause of death.
A criminal investigation is also underway but so far no charges have been brought.
Mr Savoie said that after finding the boys' bodies, he found the snake coiled in a hole nearby, held it down and put it in a cage.
He said he believes the creeping serpent, which he has owned for a decade, slithered upstairs into his apartment through the ventilation ducts and creeped into the ceiling.
It then fell through the ceiling and dropped onto the small boys from above. He said he believes the snake coiled around both children and crushed them as they slept together on the floor.
The snake is not usually handled by anyone in the store and Mr Savoie said he does not know how it escaped its cage in the pet shop.
'How he got loose, I don’t know,' a former employee, Tim Thomas, told the National Post. 'Because ever since Jean-Claude got full custody of his child, every cage had two locks on it, and one of them was a master lock and the keys to that were hung up in the laundry room.'
He added: 'Jean-Claude loved them kids and he would have never, ever put them in danger at all.'
Reptile Ocean is home to a veritable menagerie of exotic animals, including crocodiles, tarantulas, tortoises and numerous snakes.
The Post reports that the snake was a 14 to 16-foot African rock python that even its owner said was 'vicious' and was rarely handled.
Tim Thomas, a former Reptile Ocean employee, told the newspaper that when he learned of the tragedy, he immediately called Mr Savoie's best friend, Mandy Trecartin, who told him it was her boys who were killed.
Neighbor Diane Fournier confirmed to MailOnline that it was Connor and Noah who had been killed.
She described how she often saw the brothers happily playing together outside. They were fascinated by animals, she said, and often came over to pet her dog.
'The kids were always playing and laughing. They were really full of joy and lots of energy,' she said.
Facebook photos show both of the boys handling a small corn snake - called Mr Slithers - owned by their mother.
Ms Fournier told MailOnline that Mr Savoie operated Reptile Ocean as both a pet shop and as a zoo. He kept numerous snakes and lizards and small crocodiles to sell, but he hosted tour groups.
'He always had kids going in there to visit like school kids and groups,' she said.
Ms Fournier said she she herself has touched the snake that is believed to have killed the boys. He often showed it off and kept it in a locked cage, she said.
The horrifying deaths of the two children shocked residents of the small city of 7,400 in northern New Brunswick.
'It’s very nerve-wracking. If one got out, how many else got out,' Ms Fournier said.
Police said an autopsy on Tuesday will confirm the exact cause of death, though officials believe the boys were crushed to death by the snake.
Mr Savoie said he captured the snake and turned it over to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who are examining the creature.
An RCMP spokeswoman said the major crimes unit is investigating the case and will determine whether any criminal charges should be filed against the owner. So far none have been brought.
Jean-Claude Savoie, who lives above the Reptile Ocean pet store in Campbellton in New Brunswick, Canada, went to check on Connor Barth, 7, and his brother Noah, 5, at 6.30am on Monday.
'They were sleeping,' he said in an interview after the heartbreaking discovery. But 'they didn't even open their eyes or nothing. I thought they were sleeping until I [saw] the hole in the ceiling. I turned the lights on and I [saw] this horrific scene.'
He explained: '[The snake] went through a ventilation system. I don't understand how it did it. It went through the ceiling... and the snake fell into the living room from the ceiling.'
Mr Savoie said that the boys were the sons of his best friend, Mandy Trecartin, and that they often stayed at his home, where they slept in the living room. The night they were killed, he was hosting them at a sleepover with his own son.
'My body is in shock. I don't know what to think,' he told the Global News. 'I feel like they're my kids.'
The boys are believed to have been strangled to death by the 100-pound, 14-foot African Rock Python, the News reported, but an autopsy is being carried out today to determine the exact cause of death.
A criminal investigation is also underway but so far no charges have been brought.
Mr Savoie said that after finding the boys' bodies, he found the snake coiled in a hole nearby, held it down and put it in a cage.
He said he believes the creeping serpent, which he has owned for a decade, slithered upstairs into his apartment through the ventilation ducts and creeped into the ceiling.
It then fell through the ceiling and dropped onto the small boys from above. He said he believes the snake coiled around both children and crushed them as they slept together on the floor.
The snake is not usually handled by anyone in the store and Mr Savoie said he does not know how it escaped its cage in the pet shop.
'How he got loose, I don’t know,' a former employee, Tim Thomas, told the National Post. 'Because ever since Jean-Claude got full custody of his child, every cage had two locks on it, and one of them was a master lock and the keys to that were hung up in the laundry room.'
He added: 'Jean-Claude loved them kids and he would have never, ever put them in danger at all.'
Reptile Ocean is home to a veritable menagerie of exotic animals, including crocodiles, tarantulas, tortoises and numerous snakes.
The Post reports that the snake was a 14 to 16-foot African rock python that even its owner said was 'vicious' and was rarely handled.
Tim Thomas, a former Reptile Ocean employee, told the newspaper that when he learned of the tragedy, he immediately called Mr Savoie's best friend, Mandy Trecartin, who told him it was her boys who were killed.
Neighbor Diane Fournier confirmed to MailOnline that it was Connor and Noah who had been killed.
She described how she often saw the brothers happily playing together outside. They were fascinated by animals, she said, and often came over to pet her dog.
'The kids were always playing and laughing. They were really full of joy and lots of energy,' she said.
Facebook photos show both of the boys handling a small corn snake - called Mr Slithers - owned by their mother.
Ms Fournier told MailOnline that Mr Savoie operated Reptile Ocean as both a pet shop and as a zoo. He kept numerous snakes and lizards and small crocodiles to sell, but he hosted tour groups.
'He always had kids going in there to visit like school kids and groups,' she said.
Ms Fournier said she she herself has touched the snake that is believed to have killed the boys. He often showed it off and kept it in a locked cage, she said.
The horrifying deaths of the two children shocked residents of the small city of 7,400 in northern New Brunswick.
'It’s very nerve-wracking. If one got out, how many else got out,' Ms Fournier said.
Police said an autopsy on Tuesday will confirm the exact cause of death, though officials believe the boys were crushed to death by the snake.
Mr Savoie said he captured the snake and turned it over to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who are examining the creature.
An RCMP spokeswoman said the major crimes unit is investigating the case and will determine whether any criminal charges should be filed against the owner. So far none have been brought.
Source : DailyMail
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