SAMUT PRAKAN — A 39-year-old man died from a cobra bite after making a final phone call to his grandmother early Wednesday morning, telling her he loved her before succumbing to the venom.
Police discovered the body of the victim, identified only as Mr. Mai, in his second-floor office at his residence in Sisa Chorakhe Yai subdistrict, Bang Sao Thong district, at approximately 9:00 a.m. on October 23.
Pol. Lt. Col. Thanakorn Rattanawilai, deputy investigator at Bang Sao Thong Police Station, examined the scene alongside a forensic doctor from Ramajakri Naruebodindra Institute and Poh Teck Tung Foundation officers. Investigators found fang marks on the victim’s left wrist and estimated he had been dead for at least two hours.
Heartbreaking Final Call
The victim’s grandmother, 74-year-old Ms. Lek, recounted the tragic morning. At 6:40 a.m., her grandson called and asked, “Grandma, do you love this grandson?”
“I told him I loved him very, very much,” she said through tears. “Then he told me he’d been bitten by a cobra and asked me to take care of things if something happened to him.”
Ms. Lek said her grandson’s speech quickly became slurred as his tongue stiffened, then he went silent. She immediately called another granddaughter, who rushed to the home with other relatives. Despite attempts at CPR and calls to emergency services, they were unable to revive him.
Cobra Found at Scene
Police found a cobra nearly one meter long inside the residence. Specialized volunteer snake catchers were called to capture the animal safely.
Investigators believe the victim, who lived alone, encountered the cobra after it entered his home and attempted to catch it himself. Without proper training or equipment, he was bitten on the wrist. The venom reached his heart in less than 30 minutes, proving fatal.
The body was sent to the forensic unit at Ramajakri Naruebodindra Institute for a full autopsy to confirm the cause of death.
Rescue officers secured the cobra and transferred it to the Bang Chalong Subdistrict Administrative Organization fire department. The snake will be sent to the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute, Thailand’s leading center for producing antivenoms and vaccines, before being released back into the wild.
About Cobras
Cobras are among Thailand’s most dangerous venomous snakes. They typically enter homes seeking shelter, water, or prey such as rats and frogs. Their neurotoxic venom attacks the nervous system, causing paralysis, respiratory failure, and can lead to death within 30 minutes to several hours if untreated. Experts strongly advise against attempting to catch or handle cobras without proper training and equipment.
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