Recent death by cottonmouth might be first ever in Missouri, expert says

A snake expert believes a Nixa man's death Saturday from a suspected cottonmouth snake could be a first for Missouri.

"As far as I know that's the first on record for a cottonmouth fatality in the state," said Jeff Briggler, a herpetologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation. "There have been other snakebite deaths but, at least in recent times, those have been from rattlesnakes or copperheads."

Gilbert De Leon, 37, died Saturday after being bitten on both legs a day earlier while wading in the James River at a popular river access southwest of Nixa. Christian County Coroner Brad Cole said De Leon's girlfriend reported he refused to seek medical treatment for the two bites.

She woke up the next day to find De Leon dead next to her, according to Cole. Because the snakebites occurred in the river, Cole said he suspected a cottonmouth likely caused the bites. The official cause of death is awaiting toxicology reports.

Briggler said cottonmouth snakes are known to exist in Missouri.

"We are on the northern edge of their range and they are most frequently seen in the southeastern part of the state, in or near water, especially swampy areas," he said. "Cottonmouths are in the same genus as copperheads but their venom toxicity is higher than copperheads."

Briggler said anyone bitten by a venomous snake should immediately go to a hospital for treatment, possibly with doses of antivenin. A cottonmouth bite can cause serious damage to tissue and intense swelling.

"Getting to a hospital is all about preventing tissue loss," Briggler said.

Briggler acknowledged that Missouri didn't keep accurate records for snakebite fatalities until recently, but he was unaware of any cottonmouth deaths in Missouri until De Leon's.

"Fatal bites prior to the 1970s were all lumped together, whether it was a snake bite, a bee sting or something else," he said. "The Department of Social Services didn't break down the kind of animal that caused the death."

According to DSS records since 2010, there have been five snakebite fatalities in Missouri. The most recent occurred in St. Charles in 2014 from a copperhead bite. It is listed as "provisional" because the man may have had an underlying medical condition that contributed to his death.

Missouri has three kinds of venomous snakes: Copperheads, three species of rattlesnake and cottonmouths.