Massachusetts kids find ball python under grandpa's pool chair

July 21 (UPI) -- Police in Massachusetts are investigating the mystery of a ball python found coiled underneath a Salem resident's pool chair.

Bob Bell of Salem said he was initially doubtful when his 10-and 11-year-old granddaughters, Alyssandra and Kylie, told him they had spotted a snake while swimming in his backyard pool.

"All of a sudden, they came into the house and they said, 'Papa there's a big snake on deck!' And which I've heard a thousand times, right? And it's a worm or a little garter snake," Bell told WBZ-TV.

Bell said he was surprised when he investigated and discovered the 1-1/2-foot-long ball python under a pool chair.

"You wouldn't expect to see this," Bell's daughter, Colleen Kolodziej, told the Salem News. "It was very peaceful, didn't do anything, nothing wrong -- except it got in the tight ball."

Alyssandra Bell was the first to spot the mystery serpent.

"I did scream for a couple of minutes," the girl said.

Salem Police took to Facebook to try to find the python's owner. They said the animal was likely a pet that escaped or was abandoned by its owner.

The department said the snake would be turned over to Environmental Police.