Meet Mrs. Newby, 72, The Merciless 'Snake Killer' Of Oklahoma

LEQUIRE, OK — A 72-year-old woman living out her golden years in the Oklahoma outback became an instant American legend this week after her neighbor posted photos online of the old lady standing in her driveway, waving at the camera and grinning down at the corpses of the 11 copperhead snakes she killed Wednesday night.

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"Mrs Newby killed 11 copperheads last night at her house," Susan Thompson wrote on Facebook the next morning, in a post that has since been deleted or made private. "She's a snake killer if you need help call her! She is 72 years old!"

And Mrs. "Snake Killer" Newby didn't stop there.

"Mrs. Newby is at again," Thompson later told her Facebook followers — "16 and 17 down." She then said she spotted the 72-year-old sitting outside her house to "wait for some more."

According to a local ABC News affiliate, "as of Sunday, 17 snakes have been killed — and there could be more."

When reached by Patch on Tuesday morning, Thompson did not wish to speak further about her neighbor, now an international sensation. "I'm upset because people are all calling my husbands phone," she said in a message.

Dang. Must we the viral-news vultures ruin everything good? How's about we learn from the deeply depressing case of Chewbacca Mom and agree, for once, to pay tribute to this Oklahoma legend and her humble documentarian by giving them the space and respect they deserve? 'Cause they've clearly got more awesome things to do than hand themselves over to the soul-sucking downward spiral of viral internet celebrity.

Lead photo by bobistraveling/Flickr