Two kids killed by snake that escaped reptile zoo

Two N.B. children were asphyxiated by python, preliminary autopsy says Add to ...

Two New Brunswick brothers were asphyxiated by a python that escaped from its cage not far from where they were sleeping at a friend’s apartment, according to preliminary autopsy results.

Noah and Connor Barthe, ages 4 and 6, were found dead early Monday in the Campbellton apartment. They were on a sleepover. Their friend’s father, Jean-Claude Savoie, owns the African rock python that killed the boys. He also operates an exotic pet store located just below the apartment.

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Police said the four-metre-long python, which weighed about 45 kilograms, escaped from its glass-walled enclosure through a vent and slithered around in the duct work before falling through the ceiling of the living room, where the boys were sleeping.

Sgt. Tremblay said investigators plan to conduct an in-depth interview with Mr. Savoie, the snake’s owner. “The investigation’s going to show if there is any criminal offence that has been committed.”

The RCMP also said a postmortem examination of the snake found it “was, over all, in good health,” although investigators are still awaiting a final report. The remains of the animal, which was euthanized, are with a provincial veterinarian and will be destroyed, police said.

Part of the police investigation focuses on the snake and how it came to New Brunswick. Sgt. Tremblay says there is a large amount of documentation to pore over.