A woman from Indiana was found dead last week after she was asphyxiated by one of the 140 snakes she lived with.

Laura Hurst, a 36-year-old harness engineering build technician and mother-of-two, was discovered dead in a house in the town of Battle Ground, Indiana, with an eight-foot-long python wrapped around her neck.

The  Lafayette Journal & Courier reports that police working from the Benton County dispatch arrived on the scene after receiving a 911 call on the night of Wednesday, October 30.

Hurst's next-door neighbour, Benton County Sheriff Donald Munson (who owned the property Hurst allegedly filled with her snakes) discovered her body and made the call.

In an official statement, Indiana State Police spokesperson Sargent Kim Riley stated: "Yesterday evening around 8:51 P.M. at 609 North Dan Patch Drive in Oxford, IN a 911 call was received by the Benton County Dispatch of a female found unresponsive with a Reticulated Python wrapped around her neck.

They continued: "Medics arrived and attempted life-saving measures on Laura Hurst, 36 of Battle Ground, IN but were unsuccessful. Of the 140 snakes at the location, approximately 20 belonged to Hurst.  She frequents the location approximately 2 times a week."

They added: "An autopsy will be performed on Friday which will hopefully give us an official cause of death. Senior Trooper Detective Josh Edwards is the lead investigator in the case with assistance from the Indiana State Police Crime Scene Investigator, Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Benton County EMS and the Benton County Coroner’s Office. The case is ongoing."

Commenting on the incident, Hurst's attorney Marcel Katz told the Journal and Courier: "She had a real passion for snakes. That was a big issue for her."

A woman from Indiana was found dead last week after she was asphyxiated by one of the 140 snakes she lived with.

Laura Hurst, a 36-year-old harness engineering build technician and mother-of-two, was discovered dead in a house in the town of Battle Ground, Indiana, with an eight-foot-long python wrapped around her neck.

The  Lafayette Journal & Courier reports that police working from the Benton County dispatch arrived on the scene after receiving a 911 call on the night of Wednesday, October 30.

Hurst's next-door neighbour, Benton County Sheriff Donald Munson (who owned the property Hurst allegedly filled with her snakes) discovered her body and made the call.

In an official statement, Indiana State Police spokesperson Sargent Kim Riley stated: "Yesterday evening around 8:51 P.M. at 609 North Dan Patch Drive in Oxford, IN a 911 call was received by the Benton County Dispatch of a female found unresponsive with a Reticulated Python wrapped around her neck.

They continued: "Medics arrived and attempted life-saving measures on Laura Hurst, 36 of Battle Ground, IN but were unsuccessful. Of the 140 snakes at the location, approximately 20 belonged to Hurst.  She frequents the location approximately 2 times a week."

They added: "An autopsy will be performed on Friday which will hopefully give us an official cause of death. Senior Trooper Detective Josh Edwards is the lead investigator in the case with assistance from the Indiana State Police Crime Scene Investigator, Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Benton County EMS and the Benton County Coroner’s Office. The case is ongoing."

Commenting on the incident, Hurst's attorney Marcel Katz told the Journal and Courier: "She had a real passion for snakes. That was a big issue for her."