LOUISVILLE, Ky., Sept. 5 (UPI) -- An Indiana man was killed when his family's 14-foot reticulated python constricted his neck and shoulders, an autopsy found Tuesday.
Patrick Von Allmen's body was found late Monday in a shed behind his family's home in Lanesville, the Louisville, Ky., Courier-Journal reported. Family members said he had gone into the shed about three hours earlier intending to treat the snake for a medical problem.
The autopsy was done by the Kentucky State Medical Examiner's Office.
Von Allmen's family had owned the python for about five months. Indiana Conservation Officer Mark Farmer said no permit was needed for the snake because it is a non-venomous species.
Relatives described the dead man, who was 23, as someone who had been handling snakes and other reptiles for a decade.
The reticulated python, native to southeast Asia, is possibly the world's longest snake, with specimens of up to 33 feet recorded. It is a slender snake with a beautifully patterned skin much prized by collectors, but it is also a powerful constrictor.
