Fatal snakebites rare in Missouri, but precautions advised

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Fatal snakebites like the recent one that killed a southwest Missouri man are rare in the state, but conservation officials say people still need to take precautions to keep those numbers from going higher.

Gilbert De Leon, 37, was bitten on both legs by a venomous snake May 22 after wading into the James River near Nixa. Instead of heeding his girlfriend's plea to go to a hospital, he went to his Nixa home, Christian County Coroner Brad Cole said.

The next morning, the girlfriend woke up and found him dead. Although lab tests will take about eight weeks to get back, Cole said he saw no signs De Leon died of anything other than snakebites.

Only two other deaths officially have been attributed to venomous snakebites, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation's website.

The first was in 1933 by a timber rattlesnake bite, while the second one happened in 1965 as the result of a copperhead bite.

But those numbers don't include five deaths since 2010 in which the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services attributed snakebites as an underlying cause.

Among those was the July 2012 death of an Ellsinore, Missouri, man who was bitten by a young copperhead he was trying to get out of a tent.

A Carter County coroner said the bite would not have been fatal if the man, who was celebrating his 50th birthday camping along the Current River in Southeast Missouri, had not had an underlying heart condition.

In July, a 52-year-old St. Charles, Missouri, man died after being bitten by a copperhead snake while also camping with his family in Southeast Missouri. Wayne County Sheriff Dean Finch said the man was bitten two or three times after picking up the 18- to 20-inch-long snake, became ill and later was pronounced dead.

Joe Jerek, a spokesman for the Conservation Department, said that man apparently died of an allergic reaction to the bite.

Most snakebites come when people try to pick up a snake, Jerek said, adding men between the ages of 20 and 40 are most likely to pick up a snake and be bitten.

"The best advice is to leave snakes alone," he said. "If you encounter them, give them an exit, and they will readily go away."

Jeff Briggler, a herpetologist with the Conservation Department, said April and May are the most popular time for people to report seeing snakes in the state.

While they will bask in the sun in late spring, snakes will become less active by day and more active at night as summer temperatures rise, he said.

Briggler advised people to be vigilant and seek medical attention if they think they have been bitten by a snake.

"If you put it in perspective, there's a very low chance of dying from a venomous snakebite," he said.