Austin police searching for cobra that may have bit, killed man

ROUND ROCK, Texas – Investigators say a man found with puncture wounds on his wrist and a snake in his vehicle has died at a Texas hospital. EMS Commander Mike Benavides said they were from a snake bite but police say they’re waiting on an autopsy to determine official cause of death.

Authorities believe he was bitten by the snake.

The man, who was found on Tuesday in a parking lot, has not been identified. Patricia Fraga, a spokesperson for the city’s Animal Control Services, says officers seized one bull frog, six tarantulas and one brown snake from a container.

The victim’s SUV was plastered with stickers that read “I Brake For Snakes” and ‘Dangers: Venomous Reptiles, ‘ reported KXAN.

Police said in a release Wednesday that it believes Grant Thompson owned a monocled cobra, but have not been able to locate it.

The man was transported in critical condition to St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center, where he later died.

The man’s name wasn’t immediately released.