I don't know how the dead snake died. I heard rustling in the pine straw, and went to investigate. When i found the snake situation, i took a few pics and then left them alone. Later on, crows came along, having apparently smelled the dead snake (i could smell it too), and being crows, they were going to eat both snakes. I didn't see that benefiting me in any way, so i put them in a glass aquarium out of the sun and out of reach of the bird, till mealtime was over. Then, i put the alive one back where i found it.