Pet boa constrictor strangles owner; police investigate

FOGELSVILLE, Pa. (AP) — Authorities in Pennsylvania say a man has died after his pet boa constrictor wrapped itself around his neck. The Lehigh County coroner’s office said Monday that 27-year-old Elliot Senseman died the previous morning at a hospital. Officials say the constriction of the 18-foot snake cut off oxygen to his brain. The death has been ruled accidental. Police were called to the home in Fogelsville on Wednesday afternoon and freed the man by shooting the snake’s head. Local police and the coroner’s office are investigating. Police told WTXF-TV that the snake was the man’s pet and that several other snake enclosures were found in the home.