A pastor known for handling snakes and featured on a reality TV show met a tragic end after being bitten by a rattlesnake and rejecting medical intervention. Jamie Coots, hailing from Kentucky, was a prominent figure on National Geographic’s program “Snake Salvation.” Coots firmly believed that handling poisonous snakes was a demonstration of faith and that believers were protected by divine anointment.
Despite previous injuries and witnessing fatalities from snake bites, Coots remained resolute in his conviction to handle various venomous snakes like copperheads, rattlesnakes, and cottonmouths. Quoting a passage from Mark’s gospel, he justified his actions, stating that believers could handle serpents without harm. Sadly, in February 2014, during a church service, Coots was bitten by a rattlesnake on the hand. When emergency services arrived, they found that Coots had left for home.
Although contacted later, Coots opted to stay at home, unwavering in his faith. Tragically, he passed away when paramedics returned to his residence that evening. Witness Cody Winn recounted how Coots was bitten while handling the snake and had declined medical assistance. Despite having survived previous bites, this time the outcome was swift and fatal.
Coots’s son, Cody, shared that his father had faced snake bites before but had always recovered after prayer. The incident in 2014 marked a tragic end to Coots’s life, who had a history of legal issues related to handling venomous snakes. The University of Tennessee’s Professor Ralph Hood predicted that Coots’s death would inspire more followers to engage in snake-handling practices.
A close associate of Coots remarked that his death would not deter others but instead strengthen their resolve, viewing him as a martyr. National Geographic expressed admiration for Coots’s unwavering faith and the risks he took for his beliefs. The network honored the opportunity to showcase Coots’s religious practices on “Snake Salvation” and extended condolences to his family.
The tradition of snake-handling, prevalent in areas like West Virginia for over a century, remains shrouded in secrecy, with pastors keeping their rituals private and inaccessible to outsiders.