Authorities Believe Bladen County Man Died Of Snakebite

The State Center for Health Statistics says it has no records of deaths from venomous snakes in North Carolina.

Dublin, NC -- Authorities say a Bladen County man whose body was found at a racetrack near Dublin apparently died of a rattlesnake bite.

Lloyd Hood had been missing since Tuesday, when he spotted the four-foot snake while walking with a friend through a wooded ravine next to Dublin Motor Speedway. Investigators say the friend went back to the car and waited while Hood tried to catch it.

Hood, an avid hunter and outdoorsman, never returned, and the friend tried unsuccessfully to find him before leaving and filing a missing person report Wednesday. Authorities say the track owner found the body Thursday near a concession stand.

Authorities say Hood's left arm appeared swollen and gray with marks consistent with a snakebite.

Fatal snakebites are rare. The State Center for Health Statistics says it has no records of deaths from venomous snakes in North Carolina.

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Why go out trying to find rattlesnake without a second person? The buddy system we learned as children can come in handy at times like these.