Two Young Boys Strangled By Python That Escaped From Pet Store In Canada

Police in Canada are investigating the “sudden deaths of two young boys” who they believe were strangled by a python that escaped from a local pet store in the town of Campbellton, New Brunswick.

The snake, which has been identified as an African Rock Python, got out of its enclosure at Reptile Ocean pet shop and slithered up a ventilation duct to the apartment above the pet store where the boys were sleeping, CBC News reported. The two victims had been spending the night at the home of a friend.

The bodies of the two boys — identified as Connor Barthe, 7, and his brother, Noah, 5, according to The Toronto Star — were discovered early the next morning, and police arrived at the scene at approximately 6:30 a.m.

"The preliminary investigation has led police to believe that a python snake escaped its enclosure in the store sometime overnight," Const. Julie Rogers-Marsh said Monday. "It's believed the two boys were strangled by the snake."

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have not yet released the identities of the two boys, The Ottawa Citizen reported. An autopsy will be performed on Tuesday.

“My body is in shock. I don’t know what to think,” pet store owner Jean-Claude Savoie told Global News.

Savoie said the two victims are the the kids of his best friend, and that he discovered their bodies when he walked into the living room following the sleepover.

“I thought they were sleeping until I [saw] the hole in the ceiling. I turned the lights on and I [saw] this horrific scene,” he said.

"This is a tragedy," Cambleton’s Deputy Mayor Ian Comeau told reporters. "The city is in shock."

New Brunswick loosened its restrictions on exotic pets in 2009, allowing a greater variety of snakes to be sold at pet shops, CBC News reported.

That's crazy!

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