'Slytherin suspect': Snake discovered in Goodwill donation box in Virginia

A "Slytherin suspect" was discovered in a donation box at a Goodwill store in Virginia.

The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, in a post on Instagram, said that an employee found the four-foot long snake last Tuesday in a box of books donated to a Goodwill store in Stafford, Virginia.

"With the rise in temperatures recently everyone is trying to beat the heat, even the local wildlife," the sheriff's office said. "Luckily, the Captain of Animal Control, Captain J.A. Bice, was nearby and responded quicker than any Seeker could."

'A bit of Parseltongue' and snake removed

The sheriff's office wrote that the officer was able to safely remove the snake "using his powers of persuasion, and a bit of Parseltongue."

No one was injured in the incident and the snake was safely removed back into the wild, said the sheriff's office.

It is not immediately clear as to how the snake, identified as a black racer, ended up in the donation box. However, the species is native to Virginia, according to the Virginia Herpetological Society.

Goodwill did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for a comment on the incident.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X @saman_shafiq7.