You'll Never Guess How a Man With 124 Snakes in His Home Died

It was a snake.

David Riston died of accidental snake envenomation in January 2022, according to a Maryland coroner's autopsy. Riston was 49 years old and lived in Maryland.

A neighbor tipped off the Maryland police that Riston was going to have a welfare check. The neighbor noticed they hadn't seen Riston in a while, but saw someone on the floor when they looked through a window.

The police found over 100 snakes in cages around Riston when they entered the home. It is illegal to own venomous pets in Maryland. There were snakes in the collection, including a 14-foot python. The snakes were removed from Riston's home by Charles County Animal Control with his mother's approval. The venomous snakes were brought to North Carolina while the venomous ones were flown to Virginia. The largest collection of animals local Animal Control inspectors had ever seen was in the house.

Riston's neighbors were unaware of his reptile hobby, but animal control said the snakes were cared for by Riston. How cute.

Why did it take so long to discover the cause of death?