Missing cobra believed to have killed Texas pet shop worker is found dead in same parking lot where the teen became ill 

  • Austin, Texas police said Friday morning they found the snake not far from the parking lot where they believe it went missing
  • Cobra, which was missing from its cage, will be put into refrigeration and kept as evidence in the death of Grant Thompson
  • Thompson, 18, was found by paramedics suffering from cardiac arrest inside his parked Kia Soul on Tuesday in a Lowe's parking lot
  • He passed away at St. David's Round Rock Medical Center

By Myriah Towner and Snejana Farberov For Dailymail.com

Published: 08:23 EST, 17 July 2015 | Updated: 16:43 EST, 17 July 2015

A cobra that has been missing for days and might be connected to the death of a Texas teen has been found dead.

Austin police said on Friday morning that they found the victim's snake near a Lowe's home improvement parking lot on Interstate 35 near Parmer Lane where it was believed it got loose.

Grant Thompson, 18, of Temple died late Tuesday from a suspected bite after he was found unresponsive in his parked vehicle with puncture wounds on his wrist.

The monocled cobra will be put into refrigeration and will be kept as evidence in his death, KXAN reported.

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Austin police said on Friday morning that they found the victim's snake (pictured) near a Lowe's home improvement parking lot on Interstate 35 near Parmer Lane where it was believed it got loose

Austin police said on Friday morning that they found the victim's snake (pictured) near a Lowe's home improvement parking lot on Interstate 35 near Parmer Lane where it was believed it got loose

The monocled cobra will be put into refrigeration and will be kept as evidence in his death

The monocled cobra will be put into refrigeration and will be kept as evidence in his death

Grant Thompson, 18, of Temple died late Tuesday from a suspected bite after he was found unresponsive in his vehicle with puncture wounds on his wrist
The teen worked at his mother's pet shop in Temple

Grant Thompson (picutred left and right), 18, of Temple died late Tuesday from a suspected bite after he was found unresponsive in his vehicle with puncture wounds on his wrist

Thompson passed away at St. David's Round Rock Medical Center. No cause of death was immediately released

Thompson passed away at St. David's Round Rock Medical Center. No cause of death was immediately released

When animal control officers responded to reports of an ill man in a Kia Soul in the Lowe's parking lot, they seized a live non-venomous snake from a container in Thompson's car along with six tarantulas and one bullfrog, which were then taken to Austin Reptile Rescue.

Austin Police Department had released a press release stating that the only thing unaccounted for was a cobra, which was missing from its cage in the victim's home in Temple, Texas.

Animal control officers said they believe they have the missing snake because the one they found, which is not native to the area, is the same type they had been searching, according to KHOU.

On Wednesday, Austin-Travis EMS Cmdr. Mike Benavides said Thompson passed away at St. David's Round Rock Medical Center. No cause of death was immediately released.

Grant is pictured posing with a lobster at a younger age
Thompson is pictured on a trip to SeaWorld

Thompson, pictured left posing with a lobster at a younger age and right on a trip to SeaWorld, had been working at a pet shop for many years

On Tuesday, animal control officers confiscated from the man's vehicle one non-venomous snake, six tarantulas and one bullfrog

On Tuesday, animal control officers confiscated from the man's vehicle one non-venomous snake, six tarantulas and one bullfrog

The victim's Kia Soul where he was found was plastered with snake-related stickers

The victim's Kia Soul where he was found was plastered with snake-related stickers

Thompson worked at his mother's pet store in Temple, Texas, which she bought from previous owners in 2013 

Thompson worked at his mother's pet store in Temple, Texas, which she bought from previous owners in 2013 

Authorities are trying to determine whether the victim, who was treated for cardiac arrest, was bitten by a serpent.

DailyMail.com revealed on Wednesday that Thompson, described by grieving friends on social media as a life-long animal lover, worked in his mother's pet shop, Fish Bowl Pet Express, in Temple.

According to an article in the Temple Daily Telegram from December 2013, Thompson had worked at the store since he was a young boy when it was under different ownership.

In July 2013, Grant's mother bought the business when the previous owners decided to retire. 

Emergency personnel responded at 9.37pm on Tuesday to a report of an ill man in a car parked outside a Lowe’s home improvement store on Interstate 35 near Parmer Lane.

Thompson's SUV was plastered with stickers that read ‘I Brake For Snakes’ and 'Dangers: Venomous Reptiles,' reported KXAN. 

He was transported in critical condition to St. David's Round Rock Medical Center, where he later died.

Thompson was found suffering from cardiac arrest in the parking lot of a Lowe's home improvement store

Thompson was found suffering from cardiac arrest in the parking lot of a Lowe's home improvement store

 

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