The victims, named locally as Noah Barthe, five, and Connor Barthe, seven, were found dead in an apartment over Reptile Ocean Inc in Campbellton, New Brunswick, Canada.
It is thought the African rock python, which has been recovered, slithered through a ventilation system in the pet store into the upstairs apartment.
The brothers had been having a sleepover with the owner of the pet store’s son, who was found unhurt in another room.
The brothers had been having a sleepover with the owner of the pet store’s son, who was found unhurt in another room.
Family friend and pet store owner Jean-Claude Savoie was quoted by Global News as saying: ‘I thought they were sleeping and I’ve seen the hole in the ceiling, (and) everything has fallen. I turn the lights on and I’ve seen this horrific scene.
‘I have so many mixed emotions right now. I can’t believe this is real.’
The boys’ mother Mandy Trecartin is thought to live locally.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have not confirmed the boys’ identities but said autopsies were expected to confirm death by strangulation.
It’s believed the two boys were strangled by the snake,’ said Constable Julie Rogers-Marsh.
‘It’s very, very unusual and very tragic and difficult for everyone involved.’
Deputy mayor Ian Comeau said Reptile Ocean Inc was fully licensed and ‘everything was according to our bylaws, to the provincial guidelines’.
He described the boys’ deaths as ‘a shock … it is unbelievable’.
No comments:
Post a Comment