What type of snake did I find in my house?

Question

Snake  

Mouse   Hello,

I live in Nashville, TN and found two (strange looking) dead baby mice in my kitchen about 4 days ago.  They were near an entry way, but just laying in the middle of the floor, which was really strange.  That was quite an ordeal for me....until I discovered a snake in my kitchen last night!  Needless to say I was terrified. It was at least 20 inches long and a friend took a picture for me.  He also caught the snake and released him.  I am curious to know: What type of snake is this? Could it have possibly been a pet that got away from a neighbor? Should I use lyme to rid the house of snakes?  I've attached a pic of one of the mice and the snake.

Thank you for your response!

Answer
Best I can tell from the pic that is a black rat snake.  THey are harmless (other than scaring you).  No idea about the mice, other than to say it looks more like a baby rat than a mouse but size is a bit hard to judge from here.  The snake is there because the rodents are.  The snake won't hurt you but the rodents can!  Rodents carry diseases harmful to humans so I would either keep the snakes around or focus on ridding myself of the rodents.