A German man died after being bitten by his pet black widow spider, and his body was later consumed by the hundreds of insects and reptiles he kept in his apartment, police have revealed.
Mark Voegel, 30, was found dead in his Dortmund home in 2004 after neighbours reported a foul smell. Officers discovered a scene they described as 'like a horror movie', with spiders crawling over his body and lizards tearing off flesh.
The bite came from a black widow named Bettina, whose venom is 15 times more potent than a rattlesnake's. Voegel's collection included tarantulas, a boa constrictor, poisonous frogs, and a gecko. Many cages were left open, allowing the creatures to roam freely.
Police said the apartment was 'bathed in a weird green light' and covered in giant webs. A tarantula had built a nest the size of a swallow's in a corner. Voegel was described as a recluse who never invited anyone to his home.
Local expert Gabi Bayer said Voegel should not have been allowed to keep such dangerous pets, comparing some of his spiders to 'pit-bulls in the animal world'.
