Woman killed by African black mamba she kept in her New York home along with 75 others
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated on 17th June 2011
A black mamba, one of the world's most poisonous snakes, is suspected in the death of a woman who kept 75 of the creatures in pens her New York home.
Aleta Stacey, 56, was found dead surrounded by snakes in her house in Putnam Lake, New York, by her boyfriend.
Police were called to the home on Tuesday, about 65 miles from New York City, and discovered approximately 75 snakes in glass aquariums and acrylic snake pens.
Deadly: The black mamba (example pictured) is one of the deadliest snakes in the world
THE WORLD'S DEADLIEST SNAKE
Black mambas are fast, nervous, lethally venomous, and when threatened, highly aggressive.
Black mambas live in the savannas and rocky hills of southern and eastern Africa.
Reaching up to 14 feet they are Africa’s longest venomous snake.
Slithering at speeds of up to 12.5 miles per hour, they are also one of the fastest snakes in the world.
They get their name from the blue-black color of the inside of their mouth, which they display when threatened.
Stacey's boyfriend, Vito Caputo, 46, told investigators that he discovered locks open on an enclosure that housed a five-foot long African black mamba, indicating Stacey was handling the snake and it may have bitten her.
"Possible snake bit wounds on one of her forearms" were found on Stacey's body, according to a statement by the sheriff's office.
Authorities did not rule out foul play in Stacey's demise.
They were awaiting the autopsy results to determine the cause of death
The black mamba is considered the world's most deadly snake, according to the National Geographic Society.
Its bite kills nearly 100 percent of victims unless they are immediately treated with an antivenin.
Untreated, victims typically die within 20 minutes.
The black mamba and the rest of the snakes - some of them venomous - were turned over to the Bronx Zoo, at the direction of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
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