Elderly woman kills copperhead snakes with shotgun, shovel and rake handle

A 72-year-old woman killed a number of copperhead snakes near her home in Oklahoma on Friday. (Susan Thompson)

A 72-year-old Oklahoma woman refused to let more than a dozen copperhead snakes slither under her home unchecked Friday, using a shotgun, shovel and rake handle to crush and blast the critters to death.

The woman, identified only as Mrs. Newby, was dubbed the "snake killer" after she was spotted with 11 dead reptiles on the ground, neighbor Susan Thompson wrote in a now-deleted Facebook post.

"Mrs Newby killed 11 copperheads last night at her house ! She's a snake killer if you need help call her ! She is 72 years old!" Thompson wrote in the caption.

The woman, identified as Mrs. Newby, killed 11 copperheads near her house, according to a now-deleted Facebook post. (Susan Thompson)

Mrs. Newby won't be letting any other serpents slither their way into her life, either. Thompson said her determined neighbor planned to "sit outside last night and wait for some more" snakes. As of Sunday, 17 snakes have been killed -- and there could be more.

Thompson later added that Mrs. Newby, who appeared smiling and waving in the photo, had used a shotgun, shovel and rake handle to kill the snakes.

"Oh my goodness !!! That is just crazy. !!!" one person commented.

"Bless her heart!" another person wrote.

"I know her it's been years since I've seen her but I used to keep her grand daughter Madelyn," a friend commented, to which Thompson replied, "yep, that's her then!"

Thompson later called Mrs. Newby an "awesome lady," adding that she "sure [does] love her."