DAILY HERALD (Arlington Heights, Illinois) 03 November 06 A giant snake mystery - Disposal of Gurnee snake leads to arrest, investigation (Mick Zawislak, Freida Gad contributed to this report.)

Baby, described as the largest snake in the world, has died at age 29. The cause of death and what became of her 403-pound body is something of a mystery, however, and police are on the case.

"Somebody's going to have to answer to that," said Sgt. Christopher Thompson, spokesman for the Lake County sheriff's office.

Police became involved Sunday after a resident in an unincorporated area near Gurnee reported seeing two men dumping something in a wooded area behind a home off Knowles Road.

Investigators found a 5-foot-long, 240-pound tail and the rest of the remains of a snake.

Kevin R. Curtis, 20, of Lake Villa and Randall W. Frolich, 21, of Lindenhurst were arrested and charged with illegal dumping, a misdemeanor. Police said the pair admitted cutting up and dumping the snake. They were released after posting $100 bond and receiving a Nov. 16 court date.

Police said the men identified the snake as Baby, a headliner at the Serpent Safari reptile zoo in Gurnee Mills.

The 27-foot-long Burmese python was certified in 1999 by Guinness World Records as the largest in the world. It was still named on the Gurnee Mills Web site Thursday as an attraction among other rare and giant reptiles.

According to police, Curtis, a Serpent Safari employee, said the snake died during an operation, and he was instructed to dispose of the animal.

The police report identified the snake remains as that of an anaconda, which is a type of python. Gurnee police said no snakes had been reported stolen.

Neither Serpent Safari owner Lou Daddono nor marketing vice president Joan Singer were available for comment Thursday. An employee at Serpent Safari said Baby had a stroke last week and died Sunday. She thought Daddono had her.

Thompson said there are blanks in the story that need to be filled.

Investigators "will be looking into this a bit further to make sure the death was on the up and up," he said. So what happened to the remains found in the woods?

"Due to the possibility surgery was conducted on the animal and narcotics or tranquilizers could have been in the snake's system, animal control removed the remains," Thompson said.

There also is some confusion on that score.

"We were not the ones who disposed of the snake," said Leslie Piotrowski, spokeswoman for the Lake County Health Department. "It's a strange, strange story."

Dumping the snake in the woods violates state law regarding the disposal of dead animals. An owner has 24 hours to do so and there are several acceptable methods.

"The reaction is the most puzzling. If it was an elderly snake and happened to die during a medical procedure, if you properly dispose of it, there is no problem," said Jeff Squibb, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

Thompson said police hadn't heard from Serpent Safari as of Thursday afternoon.

"It's a very unique case and I certainly hope when we get to the bottom of this thing, the way the animal was treated was decent," he said.
Disposal of Gurnee snake leads to arrest, investigation

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