MONCTON – New details are emerging about the search warrant for the scene of a deadly python attack in Campbellton earlier this month.
Six-year-old Connor Barthe and his four-year-old brother Noah had been staying at an apartment above Reptile Ocean when an African rock python escaped and asphyxiated them in their sleep. It’s unclear if owner Jean-Claude Savoie was allowed to have exotic pets in the apartment.
The warrant obtained by Global News says police are investigating Savoie.
Police are trying to determine if there is enough evidence to charge him with criminal negligence causing death, due to inadequate or faulty facilities.
The document also reveals police seized 51 items from the building, including ceiling tiles and a ventilation system.
“The investigators felt that these items were important to the investigation,” said Cst. Julie Rogers-Marsh.
After the deaths, a former employee and volunteer at Reptile Ocean came forward and said a ventilation fan had been removed above the snake’s enclosure. The RCMP would not comment on whether it led to the python’s escape.
Premier David Alward said he’s making it a priority to learn how the snake killed the two young brothers.
“It certainly was a horrifying incident that took place,” he said. “We need to know and understand what took place and then we move on from there.”
If the laws governing exotic pets are eventually changed, Alward said the focus would be on preventing similar incidents in the future.
Comments