Killer Cobra Found In Texas: Cobra Believed To Have Killed Teen Pet Shop Worker Found

A pet cobra went missing from its cage and later the cobra’s owner, a Texas pet shop worker, was found with puncture wounds on his wrist and suffering from cardiac arrest in his parked car. The teen, 18-year-old Grant Thompson, later died from the suspected cobra bite on his wrist. Meanwhile, police went on a search for the deadly cobra on the loose in Austin, Texas. Friday morning, police revealed that they had found the missing cobra near the Lowe’s parking lot where the dying teen was discovered.

KXAN reports that the Austin Animal Protection Office says that the Austin community no longer has to worry about the deadly snake. The authorities say the victim’s cobra was found dead near the Lowe’s parking lot where the deadly bite likely occurred. Mark Sloat, Austin Animal Protection Supervisor, says that he was relieved when a 911 call came into the dispatcher noting a dead snake on the side of the road near the Lowe’s. Sloat says though he is sad the snake had to die, it is best from a public safety standpoint as the area was heavily trafficked.

“When I got the call, I was greatly relieved, obviously. I kind of wish the snake was alive, but for the public’s sake — the fact that we found it. This is a busy area, a lot of cars parked here already, so the public definitely could have been at risk with this snake.”

Authorities have placed the snake’s body on ice and will keep it as evidence in the death of Grant Thompson. An autopsy has been scheduled for the teen and authorities are awaiting an official autopsy report before concluding that the teen died from the deadly snake bite. According to the Daily Mail, when police responded the the Lowe’s to provide medical care to the dying teen, authorities seized a non-venomous snake, six tarantulas and a bull frog from the vehicle.

Some have questioned whether the snake found could be a different cobra but Mark Sloat says that is unlikely.

“I think the chances of it being another Monocled Cobra at the very Lowe’s where the incident in the car happened is pretty slim.”

Though it may seem odd that the teen had a car full of snakes and tarantulas at the time of his death, it was noted that Thompson worked at his mother’s pet shop and was an avid animal-lover. He even had a bumper sticker on his car that read, “I brake for snakes.”

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