was just going to post this... how sad two little boys dead... why were they housing it there in the apartment? omg?New Brunswick boys died of asphyxiation: Autopsy
By QMI Agency
Connor Barthe, 6, and Noah Barthe, 4, were found dead Monday, Aug. 5, 2013, in Campbellton, N.B. It's believe they were killed by an African rock python. Facebook/QMI Agency
Two New Brunswick boys killed by a friend's pet python died from asphyxiation, preliminary autopsy results show.
The RCMP released the preliminary autopsy findings for Noah Barthe, 4, and his brother Connor, 6, Wednesday afternoon with the cause of death. An RCMP press release states investigators are still waiting on information from the final autopsy report.
It's believed the boys were strangled by the African rock python during a sleepover.
The boys were found dead Monday morning in a Campbellton, N.B., apartment above the pet store Reptile Ocean after an African rock python escaped from its enclosure, went through the ventilation system and into the living room where the boys were sleeping.
The snake belonged to Reptile Ocean owner Jean-Claude Savoie, but was housed in the apartment, not the store beneath.
The 45-kg snake has been euthanized and the initial necropsy of the snake showed it was in overall good health, the RCMP said, adding it will take some time before the final report is released.
A vigil will be held Wednesday night in Campbellton at 8 p.m. at Salmon Plaza, city official Jean Louis Giroux said.
Teddy bears and candles in memory of the boys have been placed across the street from the apartment where they died.
The boys' great-uncle, Dave Rose, told reporters Tuesday Noah and Connor "enjoyed life to the fullest."
The children had been at a petting zoo the night before and snake expert, Bry Loyst, who is assisting police with the investigation, believes the snake may have been attracted by the scent of the animals.
He also said police told him the snake had escaped from its enclosure and into the ventilation system before.
The python that killed the children is illegal in New Brunswick unless the owner has a permit. But permits are never issued to keep an illegal exotic animal as a pet, the department of natural resources said Tuesday. The penalty is up to a $300 fine.
Loyst, curator of the Indian River Reptile Zoo near Peterborough, Ont., believes lax laws are to blame for the tragedy.
Donations to assist with the funeral expenses of Noah and Connor can be made at any TD Canada Trust. The branch number is 4857 and the account number is 6313489.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been made.
New Brunswick boys died of asphyxiation: Autopsy - Canada - Canoe.ca
terrible tragedy