The death of an Indiana woman found in a Benton County home was the result of strangulation by a snake. 36-year-old Laura Hurst of Battle Ground (IN) was found dead in a house in Oxford, south of Fowler. Her body was found with an 8-foot Python snake wrapped around her neck.

Indiana State Police reported results of an autopsy conducted at the morgue in Tippecanoe County. A preliminary autopsy conducted Friday morning showed the cause of death was asphyxiation due to strangulation by a snake.
Police reported the woman visited the home about twice a week, looking after 140 snakes. The home was described as a “reptile home.

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