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LAKE COUNTY NEWS SUN (Waukegan, Illinois) 03 November 06 Zoo says snake parts don't belong to record python (Jim Newton)
Photo: Record sized Burmese Python 'Baby' is certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest snake ever held in captivity, with its owner Lou Daddono at Serpent Safari in Gurnee. (Sun-Times)
The discovery of severed segments of a large snake on a wooded property in Warren Township remained a mystery Thursday after the owner of Serpent Safari dismissed claims that the remains were Baby, a record Burmese python once displayed at the zoo in Gurnee Mills.
Lake County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a call Sunday evening from a resident of the 35500 block of Knowles Road regarding the discovery of a large "snake tail" in the wooded area.
According to sheriff's reports, the snake segment was five feet long and nine inches in diameter.
After several interviews, two men were eventually charged with illegal dumping in regard to the incident.
One of the men, Kevin Curtis of Lake Villa, told officers he worked at Serpent Safari and the remains belonged to Baby. According to sheriff's reports, he said the snake had died during surgery and that the remains were left for coyotes in hopes of avoiding negative publicity.
Serpent Safari Owner Lou Daddano confirmed Curtis was a temporary employee, but said Thursday that Baby actually died about a year ago. He said Baby was cremated and that he still has the cremation papers.
Daddano also said that no large snakes were missing from his zoo.
Baby was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the heaviest snake in captivity at 403 pounds. It also was 27 feet long when the subject of a 2003 story in The News-Sun.
Daddano said the five-foot segment mentioned in the sheriff's report indicates that the remains probably belonged to a snake that would be too large to be legally kept by a non-licensed person.
Also arrested and charged with illegal dumping was Randall Frolich of Libertyville, according to reports.
Other sections of the dead snake were also located in the wooded area and disposed of properly after Lake County Animal Control officials told sheriff's deputies the remains could be harmful to animals that might eat them.
Sgt. Christopher Thompson of the sheriff's office said the incident is still under investigation.
Zoo says snake parts don't belong to record python

LAKE COUNTY NEWS SUN (Waukegan, Illinois) 04 November 06 Snake in the grass - Dumped python was Serpent Safari's Baby (Jim Newton)
Gurnee: A day after telling The News-Sun his prize snake died a year ago and been cremated, the owner of Serpent Safari told authorities the snake instead died Sunday and was disposed of by employees.
Lake County sheriff's deputies said Friday the mammoth snake parts found in a wooded area of Warren Township on Sunday were indeed the remains of Burmese python Baby, who was once listed in the "Guinness Book of World Records" as the heaviest snake in captivity at 403 pounds.
Sgt. Christopher Thompson said Lou Daddano, owner of Serpent Safari in Gurnee Mills, told investigators the python, believed to be over 27 years old, was diagnosed in October with "the snake form of heart disease."
Thompson said Daddano told officers that following surgery last Thursday, the snake died Sunday morning. Daddano also said that when employees offered to dispose of the snake, he agreed, but didn't realize they planned to cut it up, Thompson said.
In an interview with The News-Sun on Thursday, Daddano denied the snake remains belonged to Baby, and had said that Baby had died a about a year ago and been cremated.
Attempts to reach Daddano for comment Friday were unsuccessful.
Two men, Kevin Curtis of Lake Villa and Randall Frolich of Libertyville, have been charged with illegal dumping in connection with Baby's remains.
According to sheriff's reports, Curtis told officers Sunday the snake remains were left in the wooded area for coyotes in hopes of avoiding negative publicity.
The snake parts were found on the property of Knowles Road resident Jerry Lange. Lange said he and a group of friends were touring his 10-acre property Sunday around 3:30 p.m. when one of the group stumbled upon a five-foot section of the snake.
Lange said he become suspicious earlier in the day when Curtis borrowed his uncle's van and drove to the backwoods area at around noon.
Dumped python was Serpent Safari's Baby