Fayetteville woman spooked after finding three snakes in her apartment

A Fayetteville woman said snakes from a nearby creek are getting into her apartment.

Like most people, Artis McMillan isn't a fan of snakes.

The inside of her apartment is in shambles. That's because McMillan and her relatives tore the place apart Sunday after her granddaughter found a snake on the kitchen floor.

"There's nothing that I can do," she said.

McMillan told WRAL News she saw one snake in her kitchen Sunday, then she saw three snakes when she went back into her home the next day.

"The snake fell down," McMillan said. "There was one underneath the table, one was by the sink and one was over here."

The backside of Cross Creek Pointe Apartments, where McMillan lives, are very close to Cross Creek. McMillan believes now that temperatures are warming up, the snakes are coming from the nearby creek. She didn't get a picture of the snakes, but she said she'll never forget what they looked like.

Experts like Elaine Smith with the Cumberland County Animal Service Center said there are a few steps you can take to keep them outside your home like closing up small gaps around windows and doors.

"Snakes are a part of our ecosystem here in North Carolina," Smith said. "There are over 30 species of snakes that live in North Carolina. When warm weather starts to come in, they're going to come out and be out and about."

No snakes were found during a walk along the fence line on Thursday. Experts said that's because in most cases, snakes will stay away from us. McMillan said she's been sleeping at her neighbor's house in recent days because of her discovery.

Eventually, McMillan said she's going to straighten her apartment out. However, she doesn't want to straighten it all out and bump into a snake.

Apartment complex management staff put down sulfur on Thursday to help keep the snakes away.