Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
A Colorado Man is Dead After a Pet Gila Monster Bite
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 9 months ago on
February 21, 2024

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

A Colorado man dies after a pet Gila monster bite.

The cause of death is under investigation, possibly linked to the pet’s venom.

The pet Gila monsters were handed over to animal control officers.


A Colorado man has died after being bitten by his pet Gila monster in what would be a rare death by one of the desert lizards if the creature’s venom turns out to have been the cause.

Christopher Ward, 34, was taken to a hospital shortly after being bitten by one of his two pet Gila monsters on Feb. 12. He was soon placed on life support and died Friday, Lakewood Police Department spokesman John Romero said Tuesday.

The Investigation

Jefferson County coroner’s officials declined Tuesday to comment on the death, including if tests showed yet whether Ward died from the pet’s venom or from some other medical condition.

Ward’s girlfriend handed over the lizard named Winston and another named Potato to Lakewood animal control officer Leesha Crookston and other officers the day after the bite.

Ward’s girlfriend told police she had heard something that “didn’t sound right” and entered a room to see Winston latched onto Ward’s hand, according to Crookston’s report.

She told officers Ward “immediately began exhibiting symptoms, vomiting several times and eventually passing out and ceasing to breathe,” according to the report.

The Aftermath

Ward was placed on life support in a hospital. Within days, doctors had declared him brain dead.

Ward’s girlfriend reportedly told officers they bought Winston at a reptile exhibition in Denver in October and Potato from a breeder in Arizona in November, according to the animal control officer’s report. Told that Gila monsters were illegal in Lakewood, the woman told officers she wanted them out of her house as soon as possible, the report said.

Officers working with the Colorado Department of Natural Resources sent the lizards to Reptile Gardens outside Rapid City, South Dakota. Twenty-six spiders of different species also were taken from the home to a nearby animal shelter.

About Gila Monsters

Gila monsters are venomous reptiles that naturally inhabit parts of the southwestern U.S. and neighboring areas of Mexico. Their bites can cause intense pain and make their victims pass out but normally aren’t deadly.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Augillard, Douglas Lead the Way as Bulldogs Rally Past Long Beach State

DON'T MISS

Israel Strikes Without Warning in Beirut, Kills at Least 15 as Cease-Fire Sought

DON'T MISS

Trump Taps Rollins as Ag Chief in Final Cabinet Pick

DON'T MISS

Fresno State Becomes Bowl Eligible, Defeats Colorado State on Senior Night

DON'T MISS

After Fresno Visit, Newsom Announces $24.7M Taxpayer-Funded Apprenticeship Program

DON'T MISS

How Will Merced County Fund Public Safety After Measure R’s Failure?

DON'T MISS

As Atmospheric River Soaks California, Farmworkers Await Flood Aid Promised in 2023

DON'T MISS

Sacramento Region Gained People but Flubbed Economic Opportunities Over 50 Years

DON'T MISS

Nations at UN Climate Talks Agree on $300B a Year for Poor Countries in a Compromise Deal

DON'T MISS

What to Know About Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Trump’s Pick for Labor Secretary

UP NEXT

Israel Strikes Without Warning in Beirut, Kills at Least 15 as Cease-Fire Sought

UP NEXT

Trump Taps Rollins as Ag Chief in Final Cabinet Pick

UP NEXT

After Fresno Visit, Newsom Announces $24.7M Taxpayer-Funded Apprenticeship Program

UP NEXT

How Will Merced County Fund Public Safety After Measure R’s Failure?

UP NEXT

Sacramento Region Gained People but Flubbed Economic Opportunities Over 50 Years

UP NEXT

Nations at UN Climate Talks Agree on $300B a Year for Poor Countries in a Compromise Deal

UP NEXT

What to Know About Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Trump’s Pick for Labor Secretary

UP NEXT

What to Know About Scott Turner, Trump’s Pick for Housing Secretary

UP NEXT

Trump Taps Investor Scott Bessent as Treasury Secretary

UP NEXT

NATO Head and Trump Meet in Florida for Talks on Global Security

Fresno State Becomes Bowl Eligible, Defeats Colorado State on Senior Night

13 hours ago

After Fresno Visit, Newsom Announces $24.7M Taxpayer-Funded Apprenticeship Program

15 hours ago

How Will Merced County Fund Public Safety After Measure R’s Failure?

15 hours ago

As Atmospheric River Soaks California, Farmworkers Await Flood Aid Promised in 2023

17 hours ago

Sacramento Region Gained People but Flubbed Economic Opportunities Over 50 Years

17 hours ago

Nations at UN Climate Talks Agree on $300B a Year for Poor Countries in a Compromise Deal

1 day ago

What to Know About Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Trump’s Pick for Labor Secretary

1 day ago

What to Know About Scott Turner, Trump’s Pick for Housing Secretary

2 days ago

Trump Taps Investor Scott Bessent as Treasury Secretary

2 days ago

NATO Head and Trump Meet in Florida for Talks on Global Security

2 days ago

Augillard, Douglas Lead the Way as Bulldogs Rally Past Long Beach State

LONG BEACH — Amar Augillard led Fresno State with 25 points and David Douglas Jr. made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 42 seconds left as the Bull...

12 hours ago

12 hours ago

Augillard, Douglas Lead the Way as Bulldogs Rally Past Long Beach State

13 hours ago

Israel Strikes Without Warning in Beirut, Kills at Least 15 as Cease-Fire Sought

13 hours ago

Trump Taps Rollins as Ag Chief in Final Cabinet Pick

13 hours ago

Fresno State Becomes Bowl Eligible, Defeats Colorado State on Senior Night

15 hours ago

After Fresno Visit, Newsom Announces $24.7M Taxpayer-Funded Apprenticeship Program

15 hours ago

How Will Merced County Fund Public Safety After Measure R’s Failure?

17 hours ago

As Atmospheric River Soaks California, Farmworkers Await Flood Aid Promised in 2023

17 hours ago

Sacramento Region Gained People but Flubbed Economic Opportunities Over 50 Years

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend