A two-year-old girl has died after being strangled by a pet snake in Florida.
The toddler was asleep in her bed this morning (US time) when the 12-ft Burmese python escaped from its tank and killed her, according to online reports.
The snake belonged to the child's mother's boyfriend, who also owns a six-foot boa constrictor.
The owner woke to discover the snake was missing from its aquarium and found it coiled around the girl, who had bite marks on her head, say local police.
He stabbed the snake to remove it from the child - a 911 call was made at 9.53am but the girl was pronounced dead after emergency services arrived at the scene at 10am.
The owner may face charges of neglect for not having a state licence for the reptiles, which are being removed later today.
