March 20, 2017 - 12:40 PM
ROCKVILLE, Md. - Police in Maryland say the owner of a home that was destroyed in an explosion was found dead in the wreckage of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Montgomery County police said in a news release Monday that the medical examiner identified the body found in the Rockville home Saturday as that of 61-year-old Steven Martin Beck. Investigators say a dog found near Beck's body also was fatally shot.
Authorities say the house was levelled early Friday by a loud explosion so powerful it shattered windows and caused other damage to several neighbouring homes.
Gas service at the home was turned off in June 2015, but a Washington Gas spokesman said unauthorized use had been detected at the home since January.
The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017