NAPLES DAILY NEWS (Florida) 13 October 05 North Naples man died from drug mixture, not snake bite
A man who kept more than 40 pet snakes, including three cobras, died from a mixture of three drugs and not a snake bite, Collier County sheriff's deputies say.
Robert Daniel Griffin, 26, of North Naples, died of methadone, benzodiazepine and alprazolam intoxication, according to a medical examiner's report, sheriff's officials said Wednesday.
His death was ruled accidental, according to the medical examiner.
Griffin was found dead June 26 after his wife found him face down on a mattress in their living room of their 102nd Avenue North home.
There was no evidence of a snake bite on his body when Griffin was found, sheriff's deputies said. But there was evidence of a nearly full bottle of methadone, which is commonly used to treat narcotic withdrawal and dependence, at the Griffins' home.
Griffin had three illegal snakes in his house, but all of them were in secure cages when deputies were in the house.
His wife said none of the snakes were loose in the living room when she awoke and found her husband dead.
His snake collection included two Albino Monocle Cobras and a Spectacled Indian Cobra. These snakes were seized by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission because they are illegal to keep as pets.
North Naples man died from drug mixture, not snake bite