Owner of home destroyed in explosion found dead in wreckage

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.