Escaped Python Kills 2 Boys in Canada

Aug. 5, 2013— -- Two young boys were strangled by an escaped python as they slept today, according to the the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The boys, 5 and 7 years old, were sleeping at a friend's apartment above a reptile store in the Eastern Canadian town of Campbellton when the exotic snake escaped its enclosure, according to a statement from Constable Julie Rogers-Marsh.

The python then slithered through the ventilation system to the upstairs apartment, where it killed the boys, according to the preliminary investigation.

Authorities arrived at the apartment shortly after 6:30 a.m. Monday, where the two boys were found dead, Rogers-Marsh said. Police did not release the boys' names or say whether they were related.

Autopsies are scheduled for the two victims on Tuesday to determine the official cause of death.

Rogers-Marsh said police captured the exotic snake and are keeping it in their custody as they continue the investigation.