Citation

McCarty VO, Cox RA, Haglund B. J. Forensic Sci. 1989; 34(1): 239-243.

Affiliation

Washoe County Coroner, Reno, NV.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1989, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

2918282

Abstract

A 21-month-old male was found dead in his crib. An escaped pet python snake (Python reticulatus) was found near the child on a cribside shelf. Autopsy findings included petechiae associated with asphyxial death plus puncture wounds consistent with the reptile's teeth. This report details this 1982 death of a child in Reno, Nevada, and includes illustration of the reptile's bite marks plus description of snake jaw mechanics in swallowing.

Language: en