Teen's death ruled suicide by snakebite

KVUE-TV, Austin

Show Caption Hide Caption Teen commits suicide by 'multiple cobra bites' An 18-year-old Texas boy committed suicide by letting a deadly cobra repeatedly bite him according to an autopsy report.

AUSTIN — A Texas teenager who died in a SUV earlier this year committed suicide by letting a deadly monocle cobra repeatedly bite him, according to the autopsy report obtained by KVUE-TV’s Tony Plohetski.

The Travis County Medical Examiner’s office report said Grant Thompson, 18, had “several bites” from the cobra on each arm and the bites showed no sign Thompson ever tried to pull away when the snake bit him.

The autopsy report said Thompson, who was right-handed, first allowed the cobra to bite him higher on the left shoulder, which the medical examiner’s office said is consistent with someone right-handed doing so on purpose.

Medical examiners concluded that the bites “appeared to be intentional injection sites” and that Thompson had a “history of suicidal ideation.”

The autopsy showed that cobra venom causes paralysis leading to respiratory failure and death in as little as 30 minutes. Marijuana and amphetamines were also discovered in Thompson’s body.

Thompson, a reptile lover who worked in his family’s pet store in Temple, was found unresponsive July 14 in a Lowe's parking in Austin with his car door open and an empty container that housed the cobra. Police also discovered a viper snake and several tarantulas.

Thompson was transported to St. David's Round Rock Medical Center, where he later died.

The missing cobra, which was black with a distinctive circle on its back and a tan underbelly, sparked a massive search of the area by animal control experts. The snake was found dead a few days later on an Interstate 35 frontage road.

While the autopsy report answered the question of how Thompson died, other parts of the case remain a mystery, including why Thompson was in Austin or why he chose the location where he committed suicide.

Plohetski has reached out to Thompson's family multiple times over the past few months, but they have not responded to any interview requests.