Oak Harbor family finds wayward python in gutter

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, August 4, 2026

There are plenty of things Whidbey homeowners expect to find in their gutters. A python isn’t usually one of them.

Oak Harbor resident Shannon Useman’s 16-year-old daughter discovered what appeared to be a ball python hiding in a gutter at her home on Airline Way on July 31.

“We were honestly shocked because finding a large exotic snake on Whidbey Island is about the last thing you would ever expect,” she told a News-Times reporter.

Useman’s unsuspecting daughter was wandering the backyard when she noted something out of place.

“She called me almost immediately and said, ‘Momma, I just saw the biggest snake head sticking out of the gutter!’” Useman recalled. “I honestly thought there was no way. I laughed and said, ‘Girl, for real? That’s crazy. Tell Daddy when he gets up.’”

After spotting the snake, the family, feeling a mix of disbelief and nerves, turned to the community for help. Useman said they posted about the discovery in several Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island Facebook groups, hoping someone would recognize the python and help reunite it with its owner.

“Thankfully everyone is okay, but it definitely wasn’t something we expected to find today on Airline Way in Oak Harbor,” a post stated.

Before the owner was identified, Useman’s husband safely contained the snake. He carefully guided the python with a fishing net into a garbage can.

“This here is exactly why our life is incredible… these unforgettable moments!” Useman said.

One of the family’s Facebook posts quickly attracted attention from residents around Washington state, generating 112 comments. People offered advice, tried to identify the snake and made jokes about the unusual discovery.

“Oh come on! I’ve only been here for six weeks now. Nobody warned me about rats, the amount of roundabouts, the Amazon trucks that come in and out like the tide, and I for sure didn’t see any fine print about needing to watch for freakin pythons slithering around and camping out in our gutters!!!,” someone commented.

Others expressed astonishment about the situation.

“THIS IS MY NIGHTMARE,” Julia Schneider-Phillip, a Bow resident, commented.

“It’s like a bad sequel to Snakes on a Plane, Snake on Airline Way!” Audrey Bain-Davison, an Oak Harbor resident, wrote.

The mystery did not last long.

Within 20 minutes, a neighbor called to say the snake had gone missing about a week earlier after somehow getting past bells hung along the walls and under the furniture.

Two years earlier, an elderly couple on Zylstra Road found a friendly 2-foot ball python in their yard. The snake, which went to the pet shelter, made regional news after a News-Times story.

If you find a lost dog, cat — or even python — contact Island County Animal Control Officer Tammy Esparza at 360-240-5542.