Reported by Heather Sorentrue
OXFORD -- Preliminary autopsy results reveal that Shaiunna Hare, 2, died from asphyxiation after being strangled by the family's 8.5-foot albino Burmese python.
The autopsy also confirmed marks found on the girl's head and arms are bites from the snake.
Charles Darnell, the snake's owner and fiancé of the toddler's mother, told News 13 the snake had escaped from its aquarium Tuesday evening.
Darnell said after the initial escape, he put the snake back in a mesh laundry bag, with a quilt and a screen on top.
He thought it was enough and the snake would not be able to get out.
Officers said the python may have considered the girl a source of food.
"I wish I would have done something more. I did everything that I didn't have much to fasten the top with, but like I said I had her inside that second bag in the cage. I felt comfortable enough to go in there to lay down and go to sleep," Darnell said.
"Our interviews yesterday we were told two stories about when the snake was last fed. One was two weeks ago. The other interview was told a month ago,” said Lt. Bobby Caruthers from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
The snake was signed over to the state of Florida and is being kept as evidence in the case.
Investigators removed the blood-stained mattress from the girl's crib.
The knives Darnell used were confiscated, including a 6-inch pocket knife and a meat cleaver. Authorities also found small amounts of marijuana in the house.
Both Darnell and Jarren Hare, the girl's mother who is 8 months pregnant, could face a second-degree misdemeanor charge for having a snake without a permit.
Darnell could also face charges of neglect in her death.
Family friends said both Darnell and Hare are devastated.
"She was loving and never did anything bad," said Kristen Darnell, Charles Darnell's daughter.
"At my house, I have two kids there, and my snake's gotten out ... Thank God nothing like that's happened. I probably will never own a snake again. I guess I put my kids in the same situation," said Thomas Cummins, a family friend.
Representatives of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said nobody in the home had the proper permits to own a Burmese python, which is required by Florida law. One requirement for a Reptile of Concern is that it must be kept under lock and key. The snake was not. They could face a second-degree misdemeanor charge related to the permits, which carry a maximum penalty of a $500 fine and 60 days in jail
A veterinarian treated the snake Wednesday night for the stab wounds. They weren't sure if it was going to survive. But, FWC officers said they managed to save the python and will rehab it, instead of euthanizing it, despite the attack on the little girl.
Comment on this story.