Ben Renick 'was a young up-and-coming rock star in the reptile world,' said Dāv Kaufman. He was shipping his snakes around the world from the UK to Japan and was travelling to reptile conventions across the United States. Sam Renick: I know that when she started her spa business, it's just something that she had always wanted to do that she - you know, that empowered her quite a bit.īy 2017, Ben Renick's snake business was wildly successful. In 2016 they opened a second business, Ascensia Spa in Columbia, Missouri, a longtime dream of Lynlee, who once worked as a massage therapist. … She would work day and night helping Ben with the snakes, handling them, cleaning them, sorting them. Katherine Berger: Lynlee found Ben's passion interesting.

And he was - he was very good at what he did. … became - a hobby to - build into business. Sam Renick: Ben had - his first snake at a very young age … And that become - somewhat of a passion for him. … we keep particular pythons - blood pythons, white lip pythons, green anacondas …' Louis, once stood a world-renowned snake breeding facility, Renick Reptiles, where Ben Renick built his empire of serpents.īEN RENICK VIDEO: 'Welcome to the basement of Renick Reptiles. Near a remote stretch of highway, about 80 miles west of St. I - I don't think he saw it coming at all. Sam Renick: He was … shot in the back almost exclusively. SAM RENICK: Lynlee got here before I did so I don't know Lynlee called Ben's brother Sam, who rushed to the scene. OFFICER 1 (body cam video): This is Sam, that's his brother, Ben. What you would describe as somebody who was grieving and, you know, just lost a loved one. She had discovered his body.ĭave Colbert: And she was visibly upset. LYNLEE RENICK (body cam video): That's not a snake. 'I knew that this was a homicide at that time.'ĭave Colbert: This was something that was not just a random act. This was something much more heinous,' said Coroner Dave Colbert. 'When I saw that shell casing on the shelf just above his head, I knew this was not from a snake. Ben had been shot eight times, once at close range. Ben's body - lying face down-hid the true cause of death. But while examining Ben's body, the coroner made a surprising discovery. No one knew where the killer could be coiled or lurking. You could just feel the anxiety amongst everyone there. OFFICER 1: Can we make sure there's no snakes around the victim?Ĭoroner Dave Colbert had never seen anything like it.ĭave Colbert | Coroner: They're holding shotguns in hand. The first responders aren't sure if one of these snakes may have killed renowned breeder Ben Renick.

OFFICER 2: Something got him, so watch you're a. OFFICER 1 (body cam video looking at snakes): Holy s-! OFFICER 1 (body cam video): I don't care if it's a 5-inch-long snake if something tries to bite me, I'm gonna light its a- up. Body cam video shows a Montgomery County sheriff's deputy taken aback while walking through the snake-filled facility. On a hot Missouri summer day in June 2017, Montgomery County sheriff's deputies were called to a unique and potentially dangerous death scene - a literal snake pit - a building with more than 3,000 exotic serpents.

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